By Benjamin Pulta
MANILA – The Sandiganbayan has convicted former Misamis Occidental 2nd District Rep. Loreto Leo Ocampos and two others for graft, malversation of public funds, and falsification of documents over a sham livelihood project in 2013 using PHP2.1 million of the former lawmaker’s priority development assistance fund (PDAF) in 2013.
In a 31-page decision dated June 10, the anti-graft court’s 2nd Division also convicted private individuals Josefina Candole and Jaime Ann Perez Linsangan, officers of the Rich Islas de Filipinas Foundation, Inc. (RIDFFI), which was chosen as “project partner” in the supposed distribution of 350 business starter kits for livelihood on Basilan Native Chicken.
For graft, they were sentenced to up to 10 years imprisonment with perpetual disqualification from holding public office and ordered to return the PHP2.1 million illegally disbursed fund to the national treasury.
For malversation, they were also sentenced to up to 10 years jail term and ordered to pay a fine of PHP2.1 million.
For falsification of documents, they were meted a prison term of up to eight years and one day and ordered to pay a fine of PHP5,000.
“(T)he collective actions of the three accused manifest a deliberate intent to siphon off accused Ocampos’ PDAF through a deceptive scheme of implementing a fake project. Accused Ocampos, Candole, and Linsangan played an active role in allowing RIDFFI to unlawfully misappropriate the public funds derived from the PDAF for their own illicit benefit,” the court said.
The Sandiganbayan said that despite the livelihood development project being altogether a sham, the accused “accomplished liquidation documents… all tending to show that the same had been actually and properly undertaken, and that it was eventually completed.” (PNA)
