Sandiganbayan upholds ex-ARMM official conviction

A former official of the now-defunct Autonomous Region in 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 of mere 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 pertains to alleged irregularities in the procurement of office supplies and equipment worth P3.76 million in 2010.

In the ruling, it was stated that Sarangani conspired with former ARMM regional accountant Nanayaon Dibaratun, who owned Ayezah Enterprises and Ashley Ventures, to procure office supplies, including computers, photocopying machines, and printers.

Sarangani was accused of giving unwarranted benefits to Dibaratun by “intentionally splitting” the transaction into 16 batches to keep the amount within the P500,000 threshold for shopping, thus 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 in the documents submitted by the prosecution as evidence were legitimate since they were photocopies, insisting that his signatures were forged.

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