A former official of the now-defunct Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) failed to convince the Sandiganbayan to dismiss his P3.8-million graft case, arguing that the ruling was flawed and that the documentary evidence against him consisted only of photocopies.

Sultan Usman Tantao Sarangani, former ARMM-Department of Environment and Natural Resources regional secretary, was found guilty of 16 counts of graft in February. He was sentenced to up to 112 years in prison and perpetually disqualified from holding public office.

The case involves alleged irregularities in the procurement of office supplies and equipment amounting to P3.76 million in 2010.

According to the ruling, Sarangani conspired with former ARMM regional accountant Nanayaon Dibaratun, who owned Ayezah Enterprises and Ashley Ventures, the suppliers of office items such as computers, photocopiers, and printers.

Sarangani was accused of granting unwarranted benefits to Dibaratun by “intentionally splitting” the transaction into 16 batches so that each amount would fall within the P500,000 threshold for shopping, circumventing the Government Procurement Reform Act (RA 9184), which mandates competitive public bidding.

In his petition, Sarangani argued that the court had no sufficient basis to conclude that the signatures on the documents submitted by the prosecution as evidence against him were legitimate, as these were merely photocopies. He insisted that his signatures were forged.

Citing court rules, the Sandiganbayan maintained that a photocopy— considered a duplicate — is admissible to the same extent as the original unless a genuine question is raised regarding the authenticity of the original.

“Accused Sarangani failed to cast doubt on the authenticity of the originals of the said documents. Neither did he show that it is unjust or inequitable to admit the duplicates of the said documents in lieu of the originals,” the court said.

Furthermore, the Sandiganbayan noted that Sarangani’s arguments were merely recycled, as they had already been extensively discussed in the court’s verdict.

The court emphasized that it was proven that Sarangani granted unwarranted benefits to Dibaratun’s businesses by ensuring the procurement of office supplies and the release of payments despite irregularities.

“In fine, accused Sarangani failed to convince this court that the reversal of the assailed decision is warranted,” the Sandiganbayan ruled.

The Ombudsman also charged Dibaratun along with Sarangani in June 2018. However, she passed away before the charges could be filed in court.