Ex-Coslap official gets 5 years

The Sandiganbayan has sentenced a former senior official of the Commission on the Settlement of Land Problems (Coslap) to five years in prison for demanding P30,000 from a property owner in exchange for the resolution of a land dispute in 2000.

The anti-graft court’s Fifth Division found Rufino Mijares, a former Coslap commissioner, guilty beyond reasonable doubt of violating Republic Act No. 6713, or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, the Office of the Ombudsman said in a statement.

Aside from the prison sentence, the court also ordered Mijares to pay a P5,000 fine and deemed him perpetually barred from ever serving in government again.

It, however, threw out the charges of direct bribery and graft against Mijares for insufficiency of evidence.

The Ombudsman said Mijares was arrested during an entrapment operation conducted by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force based on a complaint made by Salud Sabado, who had gone to Coslap sometime in 2000 seeking the cancellation of the title to a disputed piece of property.

“After a lapse of several years and despite follow-ups, the case remained pending. She then sought the assistance of Commissioner Mijares who instructed her ‘to prepare a big amount’ to settle her case,” the Ombudsman said.

During the entrapment operation, Sabado was asked to place the “grease” money inside the left drawer of Mijares’ table.

Laboratory tests subsequently showed ultraviolet fluorescent powder in the hands of Mijares, the Ombudsman said.

In its ruling, the Sandiganbayan said Mijares “displayed the sagacity of asking and soliciting money by intimating that a ‘big amount’ has to (be) spent.”

“The criminal intent to solicit money, thus, originated from the mind of the accused,” read a portion of the resolution written by Associate Justice Ma. Theresa Dolores Estoesta.