Philippines' Arroyo pleads not guilty to fraud

MANILA, Philippines (AP) -- Former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has pleaded not guilty to an electoral fraud charge at the opening of a landmark trial.

The case against Arroyo has emerged a key test for her reformist successor, President Benigno Aquino III, who has promised to root out corruption and said that no one should be allowed to evade justice.

Arroyo was escorted early Thursday under tight security to a Manila courtroom from a military hospital where she is detained while being treated for spine ailment.

She was president from 2001 to 2010. The case against her involves senatorial polls in 2007, when she is accused of rigging the results to favor her candidates.

Her husband, Miguel Arroyo, called the case against his wife an injustice.

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