MANILA, Philippines – Inatasan ng Sandiganbayan si Janet Lim Napoles na magbayad sa pamahalaan ng karagdagang P79.04 milyon na may kaugnayan sa conviction nito noong Oktubre 2023 dahil sa nine counts ng corruption ng isang opisyal ng pamahalaan at nine counts ng direct bribery dahil sa maling paggamit ng pork barrel o discretionary fund ni dating APEC party-list lawmaker Edgar Valdez.
Sinabi ng Sandiganbayan sa 28 pahinang resolusyon na ang P79.04 million ay bumubuo sa public funds ng tatlong nongovernment organizations na nasa pangangasiwa ni Napoles na “constituted the actual damages suffered by the government resulting from this unlawful scheme.”
“While the prosecution did not raise the issue of the lack of imposition of a civil liability, an examination of the Court decision shows that the imposition of civil liability was inadvertently not included despite having been warranted by the established facts and evidence in this case,” dagdag pa ng anti-graft court.
“It is a fundamental rule that the acquittal of the accused does not automatically preclude a judgment against him on the civil aspect of the case. In this case, the prosecution was able to sufficiently prove, through preponderance of evidence, that the proceeds of the different Special Allotment Release Orders (SAROs) involved in this case were transferred to the several NGOs (under the control of Napoles, particularly MAMFI, PSDFI, and SDPFFI, as recipients of the public funds, and that the PDAF projects which these NGOs had supposedly implemented were ghost or fictitious projects,” dagdag pa nito.
Sinabi rin ng Sandiganbayan na bagama’t sina Napoles at Valdez ay cleared sa P57 million plunder case, iba ang civil liability dahil ito ay binubuo ng actual damages na tinamo ng pamahalaan dahil sa mga illegal na gawain.
Dagdag pa na ang pag-aalis sa penal action para sa plunder sa nasabing kaso ay hindi katumbas ng pag-aalis ng civil liability sa ilalim ng mga sumusunod na sitwasyon:
– the acquittal is based on reasonable doubt as only preponderance of evidence is required;
the court declares that the liability of the accused is only civil; and
– the civil liability of the accused does not arise from or is not based upon the crime of which the accused is acquitted.
“No such controverting evidence relating to the transfer of the public funds to the involved NGOs and to the fact that the PDAF projects in question were ghost or fictitious projects were presented by accused Napoles, as she opted not to present any evidence during the trial. Thus, by way of civil liability, accused Napoles should pay to the Government the total amount of P79.04 million plus interest of 6% per annum reckoned from the finality of this decision until full payment,” saad ng Sandiganbayan.
Bilang resulta ng kanyang conviction sa nine counts ng corruption of public officials at nine counts of bribery, nauna nang pinatawan si Napoles ng pagkakulong na mula dalawa hanggang anim na taon sa bawat count of conviction o minimum na 18 taon sa bilangguan. Kasama rin dito ang multang P26,996,700.
Sa kabila banda, si Valdez na convicted din sa kaparehong bilang ng criminal offenses ay nasentensyahan ng pagkabilangong dalawa hanggang anim na taon para sa bawat conviction ng direct bribery o minimum na 18 taon, multang P26,996,700 at penalty ng special temporary disqualification.
Ang P26.9 milyong multa para kay Napoles at Valdez ay ibinaba sa P23.99 million batay sa July 2024 resolution. RNT/JGC
