Court denies Romualdez request for transfer to government hospital

The Sandiganbayan Third Division has denied a request by former House Speaker Martin Romualdez to transfer to a government hospital, according to Associate Justice Karl Miranda, the division chair.

The ruling came during Romualdez's arraignment hearing on Wednesday, which the former lawmaker attended via teleconference from a facility in New Quezon City.

Romualdez had sought the transfer to a tertiary government hospital through a motion presented to the court. However, the Third Division found no sufficient grounds to grant his request.

The development marks another procedural milestone in the case against the former Speaker, whose arraignment proceeded despite the denial of his hospital transfer plea.