Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 20) — Businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles will spend at least six decades more in prison after the Sandiganbayan convicted her of graft and malversation of public funds.
In a 57-page decision released Friday, the graft court said it found Napoles guilty of four counts of graft, with an imprisonment of six to 10 years for each count.
Four more convictions of malversation of public funds were slapped against Napoles, with a total penalty of at least 40 years in jail.
This was in relation to the Priority Development Assistance Fund, or pork barrel, of former South Cotabato solon Arthur Pingoy Jr.
Others convicted in the cases were Former National Agribusiness Corporation (Nabcor) officials Rhodora Mendoza, Maria Ninez Guanizo, and Victor Roman Cacal, and Evelyn De Leon of the Philippine Social Development Foundation Inc.
Under the graft convictions, Napoles and other accused were also ordered to return ₱20.9 million that was “wrongfully and illegally disbursed,” the document read.
In the same decision, the alleged pork barrel scam mastermind and other personalities also need to pay the government another ₱20.9 million, an equivalent to the amount malversed.
Those convicted are also barred perpetually from holding any public office.
Pingoy, meanwhile, was acquitted “for failure of the prosecution to prove their guilt beyond reasonable doubt.”
Earlier this month, the Sandiganbayan also found Napoles guilty of nine counts of corruption of a public official involving former Rep. Edgar Valdez, who was convicted of nine counts of direct bribery.
The issue of this pork barrel scheme emerged in 2013, triggering public uproar and nationwide protests. Later that year, the Supreme Court declared all congressional pork barrel laws as unconstitutional.
READ: EXPLAINER: What you need to know about the PDAF scam
