Ex-LRA officer gets 18 years for extortion

MANILA, Philippines — A former officer of the Land Registration Authority (LRA) was sentenced to up to 18 years in prison for extorting money in exchange for facilitating the titling of a real estate property.

In a statement issued yesterday, the Office of the Ombudsman said it was able to secure the conviction of former LRA records officer Maybel Umpa from the Quezon City regional trial court for graft and estafa.

Umpa was sentenced to six to eight years for graft and four to 10 years for estafa.

The court said the ombudsman’s state prosecutors were able to sufficiently prove that on Oct. 15, 2010, Umpa demanded and received P620,000 from private complainant Lory Malibiran in exchange for facilitating the latter’s approved plan, tax declaration and the titling of a real estate property located in Rodriguez, Rizal. 

After a couple of weeks, Umpa supposedly failed to fulfill and deliver her promise.

The prosecution presented witnesses who all testified that Umpa claimed “to possess the power and influence in producing and facilitating the titling of property.”

The prosecution also presented a document showing that Umpa agreed to settle the amount she received from Malibiran.

 “The accused capitalized on her official function to commit the crimes charged. Without her position, accused could not have induced Malibiran to part with his money,” the decision penned by Judge Juris Dilinila-Callanta read.

The court also ordered Umpa to pay Malibiran the amount of P620,000 as actual damages.