Aquino, who was not present in court, is accused of allowing a suspended police chief to oversee the operation against a fugitive Malaysian Islamist leader. It turned into a bloody gun battle with Muslim rebels that claimed the lives of 44 police officers. The Ombudsman, an anti-corruption prosecutor, alleged Aquino had allowed a close ally, police chief Alan Purisima to oversee the raid even though the Ombudsman had previously suspended Purisima over a separate graft case. Aquino had previously argued that he had the authority to tap Purisima as a "resource person" in the raid. However Duterte defended Aquino on Wednesday, saying that he could not be charged with usurpation because presidents had full authority over police.

Source: The Nation Bangkok November 08, 2017 09:56 UTC