Arroyo 'vindicated' by Sandigan's guilty verdict

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo “received well" the Sandiganbayan’s guilty verdict against deposed President Joseph Estrada on Wednesday, even as Malacañang insisted it did not influence the antigraft court’s judgment on the case. Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Sergio Apostol - citing a conversation he had with Mrs Arroyo following the promulgation of the verdict - said the President seemed “vindicated" by the ruling. “I just talked to her a while ago… She (Mrs Arroyo) received the verdict well… She seems to be vindicated, in a sense," Apostol said, without elaborating. Apostol maintained Malacañang was not involved in shaping the decision. “Malacañang has nothing to do with it... Malacañang never intervened," Apostol said. He also fended off Estrada’s assertion that the antigraft court’s ruling was a political decision, saying the problem is that “all setbacks in this country are always attributed to politics." Apostol said the Sandiganbayan’s decision sends a clear warning against corrupt government officials, as it shows the courts’ resolve to pursue wrongdoers in public office. “Well it’s a very good verdict, that’s a good signal to everybody in public office that the Sandiganbayan and the Ombudsman are not joking, they are ready to prosecute plunder cases, corruption and the Sandiganbayan’s ready to decide against a culprit public official," Apostol said. Apostol said after the Sandiganbayan’s verdict on the plunder case, he now expects moves to reconcile with the Estrada camp. “Tapos na ang justice e di reconciliation ang susunod. Reconciliation with justice – yan ang sinasabi ng mga pari di ba? Justice tempered with mercy… May justice na, reconciliation ang susunod (Justice has already been dispensed, so reconciliation must now follow. Reconciliation with justice—isn’t that what the priests are saying? Justice tempered with mercy… We have already seen justice, reconciliation will follow)," Apostol said. Apostol however said the possibility of granting pardon to Estrada is not being discussed in Malacanang, although he noted that the President has an “absolute prerogative" to grant a pardon. He noted that a pardon must be initiated by the accused before it is considered by authorities. - GMANews.TV