MANILA, Philippines — The Sandiganbayan convicted Janet Lim-Napoles and three former government officials for their involvement in the misuse of P7.55 million from the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), the latest development in the long-running pork barrel scam case.
Napoles, identified as the central figure in the scheme, was found guilty of nine counts of corrupting a public official and was sentenced to an additional 64 years in prison.
The court found that she conspired with public officials to divert government funds to her non-governmental organizations (NGOs), which were determined to be fictitious and created solely to siphon public money.
Also convicted was former APEC party-list Representative Edgar Valdez, who received a guilty verdict for nine counts of direct bribery. The court ruled that Valdez received illegal payments in exchange for directing PDAF allocations to Napoles-linked NGOs.
The other convicted individuals include:
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Antonio Ortiz, former director-general of the Technology Resource Center (TRC)
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Dennis Cunanan, former TRC deputy director-general
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Alan Javellana, former president of the National Agribusiness Corporation (Nabcor)
The Sandiganbayan identified them as accomplices in facilitating the release of funds to Napoles’s NGOs, bypassing proper procedures and accountability measures.
In addition to prison sentences, the court ordered the restitution of the misused P7.55 million. Napoles’s legal counsel stated plans to file an appeal.
