A former treasurer of a non-government organization accused of having a hand in the misuse of the pork barrel of Senator Lito Lapid in 2011 and 2012 has been ordered to indemnify the government with a hefty P4.6 million.

The order follows the Sandiganbayan’s decision on 13 March, which found Myrna Bayucan, then treasurer of Focus on Development of Goals Foundation Inc., guilty of three counts each of violating Section 89 (limitations on cash advance) of the State Audit Code of the Philippines and Article 218 of the Revised Penal Code for failure of an accountable officer to render accounts.

The anti-graft court meted out the penalty after Bayucan entered into a plea bargain agreement with the prosecution to plead guilty to the lesser offense instead of the more serious charges of graft, malversation, and falsification of public documents.