Muntinlupa Mayor Ruffy Biazon announced Sunday he will appeal his conviction for graft to the Supreme Court, citing the dissenting opinions of two Sandiganbayan associate justices who voted against the verdict.
To recall, Biazon was found guilty by the Sandiganbayan Special Seventh Division for violating Section 3 (e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (Republic Act 3019).
The conviction stemmed from the alleged misuse of P3 million from his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), or “pork barrel,” when he was a congressman in 2007.
The case involved Biazon’s endorsement of a fraudulent non-government organization linked to detained businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles for his barangay livelihood projects.
The conviction carries a penalty of up to eight years of imprisonment and perpetual disqualification from holding public office.
“I will avail of the legal remedies provided under the law and bring the case before the Supreme Court so that the truth will prevail,” Biazon said in a statement.
Biazon expressed confidence that he will eventually be cleared of the charge, noting that the Sandiganbayan had previously dismissed the malversation charge filed against him and granted a demurrer to evidence in the direct bribery case.
He said he found encouragement in the dissenting opinions of Sandiganbayan Associate Justices Lorifel Pahimna and Georgina Hidalgo.
“I have faith that the Supreme Court will exhaustively review the application of the law on the facts of the case, and I have confidence that they will find a basis to clear me of the remaining issue, just as I was cleared of bribery and malversation by the Sandiganbayan,” Biazon said.