Former Philippine President Arroyo appears in court in wheelchair

Former Philippine President Gloria Arroyo appeared in court on October 29 in a wheelchair with her neck in a sling to face charges of misusing millions of dollars from the country's charitable lottery fund while in office.

Former Philippine President Gloria Arroyo appeared in court in a wheelchair with her neck in a brace.

Arroyo arrives at the Sandiganbayan courthouse in Quezon province, surrounded by police. Earlier this month, she was issued an arrest warrant for allegedly misusing $8.8 million in lottery funds. The money was allegedly diverted to an intelligence fund for her use.

The 65-year-old politician remained silent throughout the reading of the indictment. The Sandiganbayan filed a “not guilty” plea on Arroyo’s behalf after the former president and her lawyers refused to respond to the “guilty or not guilty” section. After the reading of the indictment on October 29, Arroyo’s pre-trial hearing is scheduled for February 14, 2013.

Arroyo told reporters that she had been wrongly charged with crimes she did not commit. Her lawyer, Ferdinand Topacio, said he was “optimistic that the charges will be dismissed” because the case was “politically motivated” to target his client. Arroyo, who suffers from spinal problems, was hospitalized for dehydration a few days before the subpoena was served. She is now a member of the Philippine House of Representatives.

This is the third corruption charge against Arroyo, who faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted. In addition to the embezzlement charge, Arroyo is also accused of rigging the 2007 election and of corruption in a broadband deal with a Chinese company that was canceled in 2007.

President Benigno Aquino has said bringing Ms Arroyo to justice is a key goal of his anti-corruption campaign. In response, Ms Arroyo - who was president from 2001 to 2010 - accused Mr Aquino of "seeking revenge" on her.

The prominent politician was first arrested last November when she tried to leave the country for medical treatment. The case was seen as a test of the Philippine government’s ability to eradicate corruption that is rampant in the Southeast Asian nation.

According to Laodong-M