A key defendant in the worst political massacre in the Philippines, which saw 58 people murdered, has been freed on bail, the court trying the case said Tuesday.
The court granted the provisional release of Sajid Ampatuan on Monday, ruling against the government which wants him kept in prison along with more than 100 other suspects in the 2009 slaughter.
"He was released yesterday. He is free to travel anywhere in the Philippines," Alan Moral, an official from the regional court handling the case told AFP. He is, however, barred from leaving the country while on bail.
Moral said the defendant had paid an 11.6 million-peso ($262,000) bond to be freed on bail.