Ampatuan gets 28 years over ‘fictitious’ food deal

MANILA, Philippines — The Sandiganbayan has sentenced former Maguindanao governor Sajid Ampatuan to up to 28 years in prison in connection with the allegedly fictitious purchase of food supplies worth P16.3 million in 2009.

The anti-graft court’s Fifth Division found Ampatuan as well as former provincial budget officer and bids and awards committee (BAC) member Datu Ali Abpi guilty of one count each of violating Section 3(e) of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and malversation of public funds as provided under Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code.

For the graft offense, the defendants were sentenced to six to 10 years.

For the malversation offense, Ampatuan and Abpi were sentenced to 10 to 18 years. They were also disqualified from holding public office.

The defendants were ordered to pay a fine of P16.32 million, or equivalent to the amount of public funds they supposedly malversed, with corresponding interest to be computed from the finality of the decision until the fine is fully paid.

The anti-graft court cleared Ampatuan and Abpi of 34 counts of falsification of public documents due to the failure of the prosecution to prove guilt.

In January, the Fifth Division sentenced Ampatuan to 112 years in prison for eight counts each of graft and falsification of public documents involving allegedly anomalous transactions that he entered into when he was governor of Maguindanao.

Ampatuan is currently vice mayor of Shariff Saydona town.

Meanwhile, the cases against former provincial accountant John Estelito Dollosa Jr. and former BAC member Osmeña Bandila were temporarily archived pending their arrests.

The cases will be revived upon the arrest or surrender of Dollosa and Bandila, the court said.

Earlier, the anti-graft court dismissed the cases against three other accused ­– former BAC chairman Kasan and members Norie Unas and Landap Guinaid ­– due to their death.

Filed by the Office of the Ombudsman in 2017, the cases stemmed from the provincial government’s purchase of various food supplies from private firm Henry Merchandising amounting to P16.32 million.

The ombudsman said no purchases were made and the supplier was non-existent.