Philippines reopens 'I Love You' virus case

The case against Onel de Guzman -- the alleged author of the "I Love You" virus -- has been reopened after the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) filed a motion for reconsideration at the Prosecutor's Office of the Department of Justice, according to attorney Elfren Meneses, chief of the Anti-Fraud and Computer Crimes Division at NBI. Meneses said prosecutor Archimedes Manabat has set aside the dismissal order initially issued by the Justice Department, opening up the case for preliminary investigation. The case was initially dismissed in August last year after the Prosecutor's Office ruled that de Guzman cannot be charged with violating the Access Device Regulation Act or RA 8484. Nor, however, can De Guzman be charged under the E-Commerce Act, which was not yet a law when the "I Love You" virus was released. It wreaked havoc on computer systems worldwide after it was released last April.