The Sandiganbayan Sixth Division on Tuesday affirmed the graft charges against former Agriculture chief and Deputy Speaker Arthur Yap over the alleged irregular approval of car loan plans for the board of trustees of the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) from 2008 to 2009.

In its resolution dated 27 February, the Sixth Division denied Yap’s motion for reconsideration and ruled to proceed with his trial for two counts of graft and also junked the same appeals of former PhilRice executive director Ronillo Beronio and former board members Johnifer Batara, Fe Laysa, Senen Bacani and Rodolfo Undan.

To recall, the case follows the incident where the PhilRice board allegedly conspired to favor 10 beneficiary-employees for the institute’s car plan which allowed them to obtain personal loans from the Philippine National Bank for the purchase of private cars.

According to prosecutors, the cars were then leased to PhilRice for the employees’ official use, despite the fact that they continue to receive transportation allowances “thereby causing undue injury to PhilRice for it could not utilize its deposits with PNB during the subsistence of the loans.”

To his defense, the then Department of Agriculture secretary said he was absent when the PhilRice board granted the car loan plans nor did he approve the hold out agreements.

The deputy speaker also raised the issue of inordinate delay, saying the more than three years in the conduct of the investigation at the Ombudsman violated his right to speedy disposition of cases.

But the Sandiganbayan stressed that the arguments of Yap are best presented during the trial since these are evidentiary in nature.