MANILA, Philippines – The Sandiganbayan, the country’s anti-graft court, convicted former Maguindanao governor Datu Sajid Islam Ampatuan of corruption charges over the ghost procurements of food supplies amounting to P16.32 million.

The court’s Fifth Division, in a 75-page decision, sentenced Ampatuan to six to 10 years for graft charges, and 10 to 18 years for malversation of public funds – a total of 16 to 28 years – over 34 transactions from February to September 2009.

Aside from Ampatuan, the anti-graft court also convicted former Maguindanao budget official Datu Ali Abpi of the the same charges. He was also sanctioned with the same jail time. In addition, the Sandiganbayan also ordered the two to pay a fine amounting to P16,316,559 – equivalent to the amount they had malversed.

But, the same court also acquitted the two of 34 counts of falsification of public documents due to insufficient evidence.

Although the former Maguindanao governor disowned his signatures in the disbursement vouchers, the anti-graft court noted that the defense failed to present any evidence proving that the transactions were legitimate.

“The Prosecution’s evidence sufficiently proved that the Province of Maguindanao disbursed the said amount to Henry Merchandising, a non-existing entity, for goods that were not actually delivered,” the court said.

Ampatuan and Abpi were accused of defrauding their province by showing that a payment of over P16 million was made to Henry Merchandising for supposedly delivering food items between February 2 to September 30, 2009, according to their indictment from the Office of the Ombudsman. The prosecutors revealed that the supposed supplier was nonexistent.

Meanwhile, the two other accused – John Estelito Dollosa and Osmeña Bandila from the Bids and Awards Committee – remained at large.

Ampatuan’s latest conviction is the fourth time in 2023 alone. On January 13, the anti-graft court found Ampatuan guilty of eight counts each of graft and falsification of public documents over bogus procurement of fuel from a gasoline station he owned in Shariff Aguak.

Less than a month later, on February 9, the court’s Sixth Division, sentenced him to four counts each of graft and malversation of public funds and 126 counts of falsification in relation to bogus procurement of construction materials from four bogus suppliers.

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Ex-Maguindanao governor Sajid Ampatuan gets at least 40 years for corruption

Recently, on March 10, the Sandiganbayan’s Third Division sentenced Ampatuan to reclusion perpetua for malversation of public funds and another eight to 12 years for graft over fake purchases of palay and corn seeds. – Rappler.com