Sandiganbayan acquits former Pangasinan governor Espino of graft

The anti-graft court Sandiganbayan has acquitted former Pangasinan governor Amado Espino Jr of all criminal charges filed against him.

The Sandiganbayan 6th Division determined that the prosecution had failed to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt in relation to two counts of graft filed against Espino for allegedly allowing illegal black sand mining operations in his province in 2011.

Espino’s co-accused were also cleared of criminal charges: former provincial administrator Rafael Baraan and provincial Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Office (PHUDCO) chief Alvin Bigay.

The hold departure order issued against them was also lifted and set aside, while the bonds for their provisional liberty were released.

The decision, promulgated on on Thursday, December 3, was penned by Associate Justice Kevin Narce Vivero, with concurrences from Associate Justices Sarah Jane Fernandez and Karl Miranda.

A 2014 state investigation revealed that mining company Alexandra Mining and Oil Ventures Incorporated was not a registered contractor with the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board. The Pangasinan government nonetheless granted a Small Scale Mining Permit (SSMP) to the firm on June 29, 2011.

Lingayen Gulf, where the mining operation was based, is “an environmentally critical area” by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 1258 issued in 1998.

Espino was among the officials who were erroneously included in the drug matrix that President Rodrigo Duterte released in September 2016.  At the time, Espino was Pangasinan 5th District congressman.

Duterte issued a public apology to Espino for the error,  admitting that he was “negligent in counterchecking” a drug matrix he had released to the public. – Rappler.com