Retired general gets 20 years for graft

MANILA, Philippines -  The Sandiganbayan has sentenced a former military officer to a maximum of 20 years in prison for graft for approving the release of over P24 million in public funds.

Retired Brig. Gen. Jose Ramiscal Jr., former president of the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Retirement and Separation Benefits System (AFP-RSBS), was perpetually disqualified from holding public office.

In a decision promulgated on May 15, the anti-graft court’s Fourth Division found Ramiscal guilty of two counts of graft for approving the release of public funds amounting to P24.198 million in 1995.

The ombudsman indicted Ramiscal for releasing government money to the Bay Resources Development Corp. (BRADCO) without the approval of the AFP-RSBS Board of Trustees.

BRADCO was conceptualized in 1992 for the acquisition, development and marketing of a 10-hectare Manila-Cavite Coastal Road and Reclamation project along Roxas Boulevard.

Ombudsman prosecutors said Ramiscal granted interest-free cash advances to BRADCO.

The money was meant to finance the sale, transfer and titling of the land that was bought by the AFP-RSBS for P372.278 million.

Magistrates of the Sandiganbayan noted that it was BRADCO’s sole responsibility to pay the taxes, including documentary stamps due on the properties sold to the AFP-RSBS. 

 “It is highly anomalous for the AFP-RSBS to advance the payment thereof,” read the decision penned by Associate Justice Reynaldo Cruz.

“Even if it is assumed that the AFP-RSBS Board of Trustees authorized these advance payments for taxes in connection with the titling of the property, it did not allow for an indiscriminate release of funds,” it added.

The Sandiganbayan noted the irregularity in the transactions since the amount that was released was way above the P15-million limit.

The anti-graft court acquitted Ramiscal in two other graft cases after finding the transactions with BRADCO to be legitimate.