The Sandiganbayan has upheld the conviction of a Tarlac revenue collector who used public funds to pay for his wife's hospital bills and to support other family members.

In a resolution, the Sandiganbayan Fourth Division turned down the plea of Joseph Pattawi, a municipal revenue collector of Santa Ignacia, Tarlac, to overturn the court's earlier ruling that affirmed the Tarlac Regional Trial Court's guilty verdict.

The Tarlac RTC ruled on  28 April 2022 that Pattawi was guilty of malversation of public funds and sentenced him to six years behind bars.

The court also barred Pattawi from holding public office and ordered him to repay the government P343,314.58, the amount believed lost to malversation, at six percent interest. The accused served as a collector from 2007 to 2013.

The shortage came to light after the Commission on Audit conducted an examination of Pattawi's cash accounts covering the period 18 November 2011 to 10 October 2013.

The CoA issued a demand letter on 20 December 2013, ordering Pattawi to produce the missing amount immediately with an explanation of how the shortage occurred.

In his letter to the audit team, Pattawi admitted spending the money on his wife's hospitalization, as well as for the needs of relatives in his care.

In denying the appeal, the Sandiganbayan concurred with the prosecution's findings, saying Pattawi failed to raise new arguments that would have warranted a reversal of the court's decision.

"The court has already passed upon the issues raised in the assailed decision, and since there were no new arguments presented by the accused and it failed to comply with the Rules of Court, it becomes evident that the motion should be considered a mere scrap of paper," the Sandiganbayan said.