PORK BARREL SCAM: Napoles sentenced to over 100 years in prison

National

THE Sandiganbayan has handed Janet Lim-Napoles a string of life sentences, delivering one of the toughest rulings yet in the country’s pork barrel controversies, and underscoring the court’s stance on large-scale misuse of public funds.

In a 165-page ruling released on Dec. 5, the court’s Third Division convicted Napoles of a dozen charges tied to the diversion of Benguet representative Samuel Dangwa’s Priority Development Assistance Fund. The judgment reflects years of litigation involving documentary evidence, witness accounts and financial trails.

In a report by Philstar, the tribunal ruled that Napoles orchestrated the channeling of millions of pesos to non-functioning organizations she controlled, constituting six counts of malversation and six counts of graft. These groups were found to have existed largely on paper, serving primarily as conduits for siphoning public money.

Two malversation counts involved unusually large sums, prompting the court to impose life imprisonment for each, which substantially expanded her total sentence. These penalties mark some of the heaviest sanctions applied in PDAF-related cases.

For the remaining malversation cases, Napoles received prison terms reaching up to 17 years apiece, while each graft conviction added a possible 10-year penalty. Together, the sentences amount to more than a lifetime behind bars.

Beyond imprisonment, the Sandiganbayan ordered Napoles to return P44 million in state funds and pay an additional P44 million as civil liability. The financial penalties are intended to recoup losses from the unlawful transfers.

Several other former agency heads and NGO officers were likewise convicted, with some also receiving life terms for approving or processing the questionable fund releases. The court said their participation was integral to enabling the flow of money into fake projects.

The ruling also confirmed the earlier dismissal of all charges against former lawmaker Samuel Dangwa due to his death in 2019. His passing closed the avenue for prosecuting the alleged principal beneficiary of the scheme.

Prosecutors established that the misuse occurred between 2001 and 2010, covering Dangwa’s successive terms in Congress. Over that period, multiple PDAF allotments were repeatedly directed to groups linked to Napoles.

Investigators said Dangwa received millions in commissions while none of the publicized agricultural or livelihood initiatives were ever delivered. Beneficiaries supposedly targeted by the projects testified they received no assistance of any kind.

The tribunal concluded that falsified vouchers, reports, receipts and acceptance certifications revealed a coordinated effort to legitimize nonexistent projects. These materials, the court said, proved that the transactions were designed to divert public money.

Napoles, already incarcerated over a separate plunder conviction tied to former senator Bong Revilla’s PDAF, will remain at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City as her legal battles continue.(Xienderlyn Trinidad, USJ-R Comm Intern)