Sandiganbayan allows Nur Misuari to travel abroad

MANILA, Philippines – The Sandiganbayan’s 3rd Division on Tuesday, February 26, granted the request of Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) founding chairman Nur Misuari to travel overseas.

Misuari will attend the 46th session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers happening in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), on March 1 and 2.

In his motion, the former Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) governor said he will stay in the UAE until March 11, and then attend the 14th session of the Parliamentary Union of OIC Member States in Rabat, Morocco, on March 13 and 14.

State prosecutors earlier objected to Misuari’s motion, saying there should be separate motions since he is traveling to two different destinations on two separate dates. They also said he failed to state an urgent reason that would justify his presence in the two events.

But the Sandiganbayan ruled in favor of Misuari, saying that the accused “has an important role in the peace efforts in Mindanao, being the chairman and founding leader of the Moro National Liberation Front, and that his presence in the cited sessions both in Abu Dhabi and Morocco may have some national significance.”

Misuari is facing two counts of graft and two counts of malversation over multimillion-peso educational projects in the ARMM which turned out to have never been delivered.

Misuari was conditionally arraigned before the anti-graft court granted him authority to travel abroad. But he refused to enter a plea during the arraignment, forcing the Sandiganbayan to enter a not-guilty plea on his behalf.

Misuari was also required to post bail of P920,000. – Rappler.com