Janet Lim-Napoles
BUSINESSWOMAN Janet Lim Napoles has been sentenced to at least 64 years in prison by the Sandiganbayan after finding her guilty of four counts each of graft and malversation of public funds.
The case was in connection with the illegal disbursement of at least P20 million from the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), or pork barrel, of former South Cotabato Representative Arthur Pingoy.
In a 57-page decision promulgated by the Special Second Division, which garnered a 3-2 vote, Napoles was sentenced to at least 40 years in prison for her four malversation of public funds conviction and some 24 years for her conviction on four counts of graft.
The same decision cleared all her co-accused public officials in all cases, except for the P2.9-million malversation case involving Pingoy’s PDAF under case number SB-16-CRM-0261.
In the said case, Napoles was convicted of malversation alongside former state-run National Agribusiness Corporation (NABCOR) officials Rhodora Mendoza, Victor Cacal and Maria Ninez Guañizo.
Napoles and each of the NABCOR officials were sentenced to spend 10 to 16 years in prison and pay the government P2.9 million or the amount malversed for their conviction.
Aside from jail time, the Sandiganbayan division also ordered Napoles to pay the government at least P41 million, which is the amount of the public funds misused as a result of her criminal charges conviction.
The anti-graft court also noted that there is no evidence that Pingoy was involved in the scheme.
“There is no sufficient evidence that Pingoy received kickbacks from Napoles through [former Energy Regulatory Commission chairperson Zenaida] Ducut. Even prosecution witness [and former JLN Corporation Finance Officer Benhur] Luy admitted that he has never seen Pingoy, nor directly deliver to him any amount of money as kickbacks,” the Sandiganbayan said.
