Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. of Datu Unsay town, Maguindanao was indicted for additional 15 counts of murder during the continuation on Wednesday in Camp Crame, Quezon city of the trial of the November 23, 2009 massacre in Maguindanao province.

This brought to 56 the total number of murder charges filed against Ampatuan Jr., who again arrived early at the courtroom at the Philippine National Police (PNP) Non-Commissioned Officers Clubhouse from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) headquarters in Manila.

The detained mayor, who was tagged as the principal suspect in the gruesome killing of at least 57 people, including 30 media practitioners in Ampatuan town, pleaded not guilty to the additional murder charges read before the sala of Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221 Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes.

Fourteen of the additional murder charges were transferred from a court in Cotabato City to the sala of Judge Reyes.

The prosecution said another count of murder, which would represent the 57th victim of the massacre, would be filed against the mayor as soon as the body of the missing victim is found and identified.

Earlier, Ampatuan Jr. also pleaded not guilty to the initial 41 counts of murder.

During cross examination of Buluan town Vice Mayor Esmael Mangudadatu, defense lawyer Sigfried Fortun attempted to discredit the sixth witness by inquiring about his alleged pending criminal charges before a court in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

However, Senior State Prosecutor Leo Dacera objected to the questioning, which was granted by Judge Reyes.

Ampatuan Jr. was excused from the hearing immediately after the cross examination and whisked by NBI agents back to the their Manila headquarters. (PNA)
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