Ex-Cebu town treasurer receives probation 23 years after graft conviction

MANILA, Philippines – Sentenced to life imprisonment for graft 23 years ago, a former town treasurer in Cebu province was granted probation by the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan and released from jail.

Former Compostela, Cebu town treasurer Dominador Maravillas was convicted in 2001 along with the late town mayor Gilbert Wagas for malversation of public funds, amounting to P367,618, and both were sentenced to reclusion perpetua. They were also fined equivalent to the misappropriated amount and disqualified from government employment.

The Sandiganbayan noted Maravillas’ advanced age as a factor minimizing the probability of flight risk.

Wagas died in 2017 while serving his sentence at the New Bilibid Prison, while Maravillas was only arrested on February 18, 2021, following a bench warrant issued by the Sandiganbayan in December 2020.

The 4th Division of the Sandiganbayan, in a resolution issued on April 7, granted Maravillas probation after a regional court reduced his sentence from 40 years of imprisonment to merely two to four years.

He had filed a petition with the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 29 in Cebu, invoking Republic Act No. 10951, a law which allows penalties for various offenses to be adjusted. The RTC granted his petition on October 12, 2023.

The RTC ruling allowed Maravillas to bring his case to the Sandiganbayan where he invoked the Probation Law, arguing that his reduced sentence now qualified him for probation since it fell below the six-year threshold. 

He had also petitioned to be released and placed under the custody of a barangay councilor, Josias Aguanta Peñalosa, who guaranteed his appearance in court when required.

Upon review, the Sandiganbayan granted Maravillas’ application for probation, noting that there were no disqualifications applicable to his case. 

The court ordered his release from the Asturias Municipal Police Station jail in Cebu. –Rappler.com