The Department of Justice had not yet even drafted a watch list order against Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo when he left for Hong Kong on Sunday for a medical checkup. He promised to come back as soon as his doctors give him the green light, his lawyer said on Wednesday.
His flight came two days before two witnesses testified at the Senate that Arroyo owned two used helicopters sold to the Philippine National Police in 2009 as brand new.
The Senate blue ribbon committee said it would invite Arroyo to its investigation of the sale because his name was mentioned several times by witnesses.
“Let’s presume he (Arroyo) wants to cooperate and clarify the matter. But if he leaves, that would be a sign that he’s hiding something,” Sen. Teofisto Guingona III, the chair of the blue ribbon committee, said on Tuesday.
“If he knows there’s an investigation and flies (to another country), that adds to the probability that he’s guilty,” Guingona added.
Too late the watch list
If Arroyo fails to return to the country soon, placing him on a watch list would be for naught.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Wednesday directed members of her department’s legal staff to make a draft of a watch list order that she might issue against Arroyo.
De Lima said she also ordered Chief State Counsel Ricardo Paras to coordinate with the Senate to verify if the senators had indeed asked the Department of Justice to place Arroyo on the immigration bureau’s watch list.
“Once that is verified, then I’m inclined to issue a watch list order (against Arroyo),” the justice secretary told reporters.