LEGAZPI CITY?THE SORSOgon congressman convicted of graft by the Sandiganbayan has posted bail.

Rep. Jose Solis, sentenced to up to 10 years in prison for graft and falsification of public documents, paid a P64,000 bail bond.

The Sandiganbayan on March 2 convicted him of graft and falsification of public documents for wrongly classifying a government lot to favor a private claimant more than 10 years ago.

At a press conference on Saturday, Solis said he would appeal his conviction, insisting he was innocent.

He said his conviction by the Sandiganbayan was politically motivated and timed for the election period.

Solis is running for governor of Sorsogon against Raul Lee, whom Solis sought to disqualify in the gubernatorial race.

Solis said his political rivals dug up the case at the Sandiganbayan and timed their pleadings to ensure that he got convicted months before the elections on May 10.

?They tried to make my supporters believe that I will be arrested and put to jail, and their votes would not be counted and wasted,? said Solis.

Solis was chief of the National Mapping Resource Identification Administration in 1998.

He said he was confident that the Sandiganbayan decision would be eventually overturned. Mar S. Arguelles, Inquirer Southern Luzon