STATE PROSECUTORS on Wednesday filed an urgent omnibus motion before the Sandiganbayan to cancel the bail and rearrest former Palawan governor Mario Joel T. Reyes. “It is most respectfully prayed of the Honorable Court that this motion be granted and that: accused Reyes’s bail be canceled; and accused Reyes be immediately committed to prison in view of his conviction for violation of Section 3(e) of RA (Republic Act) 3019,” the petition, penned by Deputy Special Prosecutor Omar L. Sagdal, reads. On Aug. 29, 2017, Sandiganbayan found Mr. Reyes guilty of graft for “giving unwarranted benefits, preference and advantage” to Olympic Mines and Development Corp. On the other hand, the Court of Appeals (CA) on Jan. 4 ordered the release of Mr. Reyes, who was implicated in the 2011 murder of journalist and environmentalist Gerardo V. Ortega, after finding no probable cause to issue a warrant for his arrest. — Minde Nyl R. dela Cruz

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