MANILA - Lawyer Ferdinand Topacio has lodged a perjury complaint against Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III over the senator’s 2011 electoral sabotage case against Topacio’s client, former President and now-House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Topacio filed the complaint before the Office of the City Prosecutor in Manila on Monday.

In his 18-page complaint, Topacio accused Pimentel of knowingly making false statements under oath against Arroyo and several others, whom the senator accused of conspiring in rigging the 2007 senatorial elections in favor of Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, who had edged out Pimentel for the 12th spot in the senatorial elections.

The Senate Electoral Tribunal eventually ruled in favor of Pimentel in August 2011 and he was able to serve out the remainder of his term until June 2013.

In October 2011, Pimentel executed an affidavit-complaint against Arroyo, her husband former First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, former Commission on Elections Chair Benjamin Abalos and 12 others accusing Arroyo of instructing former Maguindanao Gov. Andal Ampatuan to ensure a 12-0 “Team Unity” victory in Maguindanao even if it means altering the election results.

In November 2011, a joint committee and fact-finding team (joint panel) organized by the Comelec and the Department of Justice (DOJ) found the senatorial election results in North and South Cotabato and in Maguindanao were indeed manipulated. It recommended the filing of electoral sabotage charges against Arroyo and Abalos while the charges against the former first gentleman were dropped due to insufficiency of evidence.

In December 2018, however, a Pasay City court dismissed the charges against Arroyo on the basis of insufficiency of evidence presented by the prosecution.

The dismissal, according to Topacio, is a vindication of his client Arroyo’s innocence. He accused Pimentel of making it appear that he had personal knowledge of the electoral sabotage case against Arroyo.

“Respondent [Pimentel], in filing the Electoral Sabotage case against FPGMA and FG, among others, made certain deliberate, willful and malicious statements under oath wherein he declared and expressed with certainty the commission by FPGMA and FG, among other persons, of acts constitutive of Electoral Sabotage…,” Topacio said, quoting portions of Pimentel’s affidavit extensively.

“Such averments under oath are untrue and patent falsities made willingly and deliberately by Respondent [Pimentel],” he added, accusing Pimentel of violating Article 183 of the Revised Penal Code.

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Article 183 punishes any person who knowingly makes untruthful statements by testifying under oath or making an affidavit.

It carries with it the penalty of imprisonment ranging from 4 months and 1 day to 2 years and 4 months and the accessory penalty of suspension from public office.

Topacio had also tried to block Pimentel’s candidacy for senator in the May 2019 polls by filing a disqualification case against him before the Comelec.