The Sandiganbayan on Monday acquitted a former executive of a non-governmental organization (NGO) accused of receiving the lion’s share of P5-million pork barrel funds of ex-Manila lawmaker Joey Hizon, supposedly to execute livelihood projects that were later found “ghost” or non-existent.

Marilou Ferrer, one of the officers of Kaagapay Magpakailanman Foundation Inc. (KMFI), walked free from one count each of graft and malversation of public funds after the Sandiganbayan greenlighted her petition to dismiss the charges against her.

Ferrer was earlier permitted by the anti-graft court to challenge the sufficiency of the prosecution’s evidence, which eventually resulted in the approval of her demurrer to evidence. A demurrer to evidence is a pleading by the accused that, when granted by the court, leads to acquittal.

Ferrer was charged along with other representatives of another NGO, and officials of the defunct Technology and Livelihood Resource Center (TLRC), which was supposedly the implementing agency of the P5-million Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) projects of Hizon in 2007. 

Court records showed that TLRC channeled P4.8 million to KMFI and retained the P200,000 for management and services fees. 

The prosecution said the KMFI obtained Hizon’s PDAF despite lacking the necessary qualifications to implement the PDAF-funded projects, whose supposed beneficiaries were later found to be “fictitious.” 

Ferrer petitioned the Sandiganbayan that she cannot be held liable for the crimes charged, as the only evidence against her was her signature on the KMFI’s articles of incorporation and “unsubstantiated” claim of the prosecution that she received the P4.8 million and misused the same.