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Philippines court issues Gloria Arroyo arrest warrant | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
A Philippine court has issued an arrest warrant for former President Gloria Arroyo, hours after election officials accused her of vote fraud. | |
The Election Commission filed charges accusing her of cheating to win a seat in the Senate for one of her supporters during the 2007 election. | |
Mrs Arroyo has been fighting a legal battle to be allowed to leave the country to receive medical treatment. | |
She denies any wrongdoing and her lawyer says the charges are fabricated. | |
She is involved in a bitter dispute with the current government, which has banned her from leaving the country. | She is involved in a bitter dispute with the current government, which has banned her from leaving the country. |
For months, speculation has swirled that Mrs Arroyo was about to be charged - either with vote fraud or with embezzlement. | |
But she has been fighting in the courts to be allowed to leave the country, saying she has a rare bone disease and needs specialist treatment. | |
Earlier this week the Supreme Court overruled the government's travel ban, and Mrs Arroyo arrived at an airport in a wheelchair and a neck-brace. | Earlier this week the Supreme Court overruled the government's travel ban, and Mrs Arroyo arrived at an airport in a wheelchair and a neck-brace. |
But the government stopped her from leaving. | But the government stopped her from leaving. |
Then on Friday, the Supreme Court once again overruled the travel ban. | |
With reports claiming she would attempt to leave again, a lower court accepted the criminal charges and issued a warrant for her arrest. | |
In effect, the lower court's decision means she will not be allowed to leave the Philippines. | |
Officials said Mrs Arroyo, who was president between 2001 and 2010, was accused of ordering large-scale tampering with official returns in the 2007 Senate elections that cheated an opposition candidate out of victory. | Officials said Mrs Arroyo, who was president between 2001 and 2010, was accused of ordering large-scale tampering with official returns in the 2007 Senate elections that cheated an opposition candidate out of victory. |
The maximum sentence is life in prison. | The maximum sentence is life in prison. |