Napoles draws 108 years jail term for graft, malversation of Baterina’s PDAF
Janet Lim Napoles (File picture)
MANILA, Philippines — Pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles has been found guilty by the Sandiganbayan of graft again.
This time, the verdict pertains to another case involving a former Ilocos Sur lawmaker whom the anti-graft court acquitted.
In its ruling on Friday, Sandiganbayan’s Special Second Division convicted Napoles, Belina Agbayani Concepcion, and Godofredo Roque for two counts of graft and malversation.
The conviction comes after P25 million former Ilocos Sur First District Representative Salacnib Baterina’s priority development assistance fund (PDAF) was channeled to Kaagapay Magpakailanman Foundation Incorporated (KMFI) in 2007.
Meanwhile, Napoles has also been found guilty of another count of graft and malversation, along with Maria Rosalinda Lacsamana and Evelyn de Leon.
The case involves the transfer of Baterina’s P10 million PDAF to the Philippine Social Development Foundation Incorporated (PSDFI).
KMFI and PSDFI are the bogus non-government organizations (NGOs) created by Napoles to perform ghost projects using lawmakers’ PDAF.
Concepcion and Lacsamana are Technological Livelihood Research Center (TLRC) officials, while Roque and de Leon are said to be associates of Napoles.
Napoles, Concepcion, and Roque have been directed to return the sum of P25 million to the government jointly.
On the other hand, Napoles, Lacsamana, and de Leon are instructed to compensate government for the P10 million, which was wrongfully disbursed.
Baterina, meanwhile, has been acquitted for the failure of prosecution to prove his guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
However, the former lawmaker has been tasked to contribute to the repayment of the money lost by the government due to the transactions.
Fomer Ilocos Sur First District Representative Salacnib Baterina (file photo)
For the two counts of graft involving transfers to KMFI, Napoles, Concepcion, and Roque are ordered to serve the penalty of imprisonment of a minimum of six years and one month up to 10 years per count.
For the two counts of malversation, still involving the KMFI transfers, Napoles, Concepcion, and Roque will be serving a prison term of reclusion perpetua or 30 years.
Napoles, Lacsamana, and de Leon will also serve a prison sentence of a minimum of six years and one month up to 10 years for the transfers to PSDFI.
Similarly, all three will also serve a reclusion perpetua prison term due to the malversation case.
All in all, Napoles will serve 108 years of prison term solely due to the pork barrel scandal.
Napoles had been previously convicted in several pork barrel scam cases.
In December 2018, Napoles was found guilty of plunder stemming from the complaints filed against Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla.
Revilla was acquitted from the cases after the prosecution failed to prove that the Senator was directly involved in transferring funds from PDAF to Napoles’ NGOs.
READ: Bong Revilla acquitted of plunder
Then, on October 20, Napoles and four others were found guilty in a pork barrel scam related to former South Cotabato Representative Arthur Pingoy Jr.
For the Pingoy case alone, Napoles will serve a prison sentence of 66 years.
