Sandiganbayan grants bail to ex-police director Barias

The Sandiganbayan on Tuesday allowed former police director Geary Barias to post bail over the allegedly fictitious repair and maintenance of Philippine National Police light armored vehicles in 2007.

The antigraft court’s fourth division, in a ruling dated March 7 and released on Tuesday, granted Barias’ motion for reconsideration and reversed its previous ruling in February last year that denied his petition for bail, allowing him to post P200,000 for each count of offense.

READ: Razon, Barias surrender to Sandiganbayan

Barias, former chief of the PNP National Capital Region Office, was charged with two counts of malversation through falsification of public documents over his alleged involvement in the fictitious repair of armored vehicles in 2007 under then PNP chief Avelino Razon Jr.

In 2013, Barias and Razon surrendered to the Sandiganbayan following an arrest warrant over the anomalous repair of 28 units of V-150 PNP light armored vehicles.

Citing a Supreme Court ruling on Dec. 8, 2015, on the case of former Bacolod City Mayor Luzviminda Valdez, the Sandiganbayan said the high court “has now ruled that an accused charged with the complex crime of malversation through falsification of public documents is entitled to bail as a matter of right.”

“Wherefore, finding the motion for reconsideration filed by the accused-movant Barias be legally tenable, the same is hereby GRANTED, let the accused-movant Barias be allowed to post his bail in the amount of Php200,000 for each information charged for the crime of Malversation through Falsification of Public Documents,” the new decision read.

The ruling was penned by Associate Justice Alex Quiroz and concurred by Associate Justices Jose Hernandez and Napoleon Inoturan. RC