The Sandiganbayan has sentenced two former officials of the now-defunct National Agribusiness Corporation to up to 35 years in prison for their role in the illegal diversion of P4.85 million pork barrel fund of ex-lawmaker Vicente Belmonte Jr. in 2008.
In an 84-page ruling handed down on Monday, the Sandiganbayan First Division found ex-Nabcor finance division director Rhodora Mendoza and general services unit head Romulo Relevo guilty of one count of graft and two counts of malversation of public funds.
The anti-graft court also ordered Mendoza and Relevo to indemnify the government jointly and severally the P4.85 million, representing the amount illegally disbursed.
Mendoza and Relevo were also perpetually barred from holding public office.
Meanwhile, their co-accused, Elizabeth Balbacal, a certified public accountant, was off the hook owing to the failure of the prosecution to prove her guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. However, she was ordered to return to the government the P4.85 million by civil liability.
The case involves irregularities in disbursing Belmonte's P4.85-million Priority Development Assistance Fund or PDAF, illegally transferred to bogus non-government organization Kasangga sa Magandang Bukas Foundation Inc.
Records showed that Mendoza, Relevo, and other Nabcor officials colluded to divert Belmonte's pork barrel to the bogus foundation for the implementation of the lawmaker's projects intended for his constituents in Lanao First District, which the prosecution later found to be ghost or non-existent.
The ruling states that the Nabcor erstwhile officials gave unwarranted benefits, advantages and preferences to the foundation, to the damage and prejudice of the government.
"There is sufficient proof that the said amount has been misappropriated," the court said.
Apart from this case, Mendoza and Relevo were also indicted of graft and malversation over anomalous utilization of ex-Iloilo lawmaker Niel Tupas Jr.'s P4.8-million pork barrel in 2008 but walked free from the charges in September last year.
In December last year, the Sandiganbayan also found Relevo guilty of two counts each of graft and malversation for misusing the P4.85 million PDAF of ex-Eastern Samar lawmaker Teodulo Coquilla in 2008.