The Supreme Court (SC) First Division has ordered the re-arrest of former Palawan governor Mario Joel Reyes in relation with the murder of environmentalist and broadcaster Gerardo "Gerry" Ortega in 2011.
In a decision dated late March but was made public on Sunday, SC ruled that Reyes failed to demonstrate that the Puerto Princesa City Regional Trial Court (RTC) abused its jurisdictional boundaries by ordering the continuation of his trial.
"Petitioner's disagreement with the conclusions reached by the trial court, without more, is not sufficient to warrant the issuance of the extraordinary writ of certiorari," the higher court said.
"Such writ will issue only to correct errors of jurisdiction, not errors in the findings or conclusions of the lower court," it added.
This happened after the SC turned down Reyes' request to overturn and nullify the Court of Appeals' (CA) revised ruling in November 2019 and its conclusion in the matter in February 2021.
The allegations of Reyes were initially rejected by the Court of Appeals (CA) in 2018, but it altered after the decision.
Another warrant for his arrest was issued in 2019.
Reyes, who was found guilty of graft in 2017, was expected to remain in government custody despite the CA's initial decision to dismiss the charges in 2018.
