The Sandiganbayan has convicted former Philippine National Police (PNP) Firearms and Explosives Office (FEO) chief Brig. Gen. Raul Petrasanta and other officials on graft charges in connection with the “defective” licensing of more than 100 AK-47 rifles from 2011 to 2013.

Petrasanta was found guilty beyond reasonable doubt of 14 counts of graft and was sentenced to six to 10 years’ imprisonment for each count, with perpetual disqualification from holding public office.

No civil liability was imposed after the prosecution failed to convincingly prove the amount of civil damages suffered by the government.

The case stemmed from a 2014 Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) report showing that the accused officials and personnel processed and authorized firearms licenses for four private security firms and a mining company despite falsified and incomplete documents.

“A careful review of the records reveals that the applications for firearm licenses submitted by JTC [Mineral Mining Corporation], Claver [Mineral Development Corporation], Isla [Security Agency], and Caraga were tainted with deficient and anomalous documents. These irregularities underscore their substantial non-compliance with the mandatory legal and administrative requirements,” the decision stated.

“The pattern of irregularity is too consistent and too extensive to be outrightly dismissed as a product of administrative lapse. It is, thus, inconceivable that these approving authorities, tasked with the solemn duty of regulating the issuance of licenses for high-powered firearms, could have failed to take notice of such deficiencies,” it added.

Under the Sixth Division’s decision promulgated on 5 December, several other officials were likewise convicted on various graft counts.

Former Firearms and Licensing Division chief SSupt. Eduardo Acierto was convicted of 11 counts of graft, while assistant division chief SSupt. Allan A. Parreño was convicted of 10 counts.

Civil Service Security Group chief PDir. Gil C. Meneses was found guilty of six counts of graft.

CSupt. Napoleon Estilles, SSupt. Regino Catiis, Supervisory Office for Security and Investigation Agencies chief CSupt. Tomas Rentoy III, and former FEO Inspection and Enforcement (I&E) Section chief CInsp. Nelson Bautista were each convicted of three counts.

SPO1 Randy De Sesto was convicted of two counts, while former I&E assistant chief CInsp. Ricardo Zapata Jr. was convicted of one count.

It was also reported that some of the firearms involved were later recovered from the New People’s Army during a clash with the military in 2014.