Former Puerto Princesa Mayor Edward Hagedorn. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
Palawan Rep. Edward Hagedorn was found guilty of malversation of public property for his failure to return all firearms issued to him when he was mayor of Puerto Princesa City, and was banned for life from holding public office.
In a 48-page decision on Friday, the antigraft court’s Third Division also sentenced the former Puerto Princesa City mayor to two to seven years of imprisonment, on top of a P490,000 fine with interest.
The case stemmed from a 2016 complaint by then-Mayor Lucio Bayron accusing Hagedorn of malversation of public property.
Bayron said after the city conducted a physical inventory, they discovered that out of the 20 firearms issued to Hagedorn, only six were returned at the end of his term on June 30, 2013.
Hagedorn, however, said that he did not take the firearms for his personal use, arguing that he was trying to recover them from his former security personnel.
The court added that despite three demand letters sent by the local government of Puerto Princesa City to Hagedorn, he failed to turn over the subject firearms, which had an estimated value of P490,000. —Dempsey Reyes
READ: Sandiganbayan: No plea bargain for Hagedorn