Former Zamboanga Sibugay governor seeks bail for graft, malversation case

Former Zamboanga Sibugay Governor George Hofer and his co-accused have asked the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division to grant them bail while graft and malversation charges against them are being heard.

Hofer, who is currently under the custody of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), said in a  memorandum filed on Monday that the evidence against him and his co-accused was weak  and there was no need to detain them while the case was being heard.

Hofer and other provincial government employees—Editha Quinte and Lucia Palang—are charged with listing nonexistent beneficiaries as having received  funds intended for the poor. No actual payments were made, according to  prosecutors.

The court had denied them bail for two counts of malversation, but recommended bail of P40,000 each for the two graft charges.

Earlier, the former governor sought to be placed under house arrest following his discharge from a Cebu City hospital where he stayed for two months due to an unspecified illness. He said the NBI had no suitable facility for him.

Prosecutors have opposed the move, saying giving Hofer  such a privilege had no basis.

In the new memorandum, Hofer and his co-accused said the testimony of a prosecution witness and government auditor Bernardo Sumicad showed that the case against them was weak.

They said the money that they were accused of malversing was Hofer’s own money and not that of the government.  Hofer could not have malversed his own money, they argued.