(From AFP)
The Philippine Supreme Court on Tuesday threw out a long-running corruption case against jailed former president Gloria Arroyo and ordered her immediate release after almost five years in detention.
The 69-year-old, who was in office from 2001-2010, could be freed later Tuesday from the Manila government hospital where she has been held since her November 2011 arrest, her lawyers said.
The case against Arroyo and a co-defendant was dismissed “for insufficiency of evidence”, Supreme Court spokesman Theodore Te told reporters.
Arroyo was accused of stealing 366 million pesos ($8.8 million) in state lottery funds meant for charity programs while she was in office. Read More