(DC file photo)
BATASAN, Quezon City — The Sandiganbayan Third Division has acquitted former Albay governor Edcel Greco ‘Grex’ Lagman on the charges of indirect bribery and violation of the Anti-Illegal Gambling law in connection with jueteng operations in his province.
Lagman’s acquittal was handed down by the anti-graft court after the witnesses, who alleged the governor’s involvement in the illegal numbers games, recanted their statements.
The Sandigsnbayan ruled that “reasonable doubts (we)re present as regards (to) Lagman’s guilt, necessitating an acquittal pursuant to the constitutional presumption of innocence.”
It may be recalled in the case that in 2024, a former village official of Daraga town filed administrative and criminal charges before the Office of the Ombudsman against Lagman for allegedly receiving around ₱8.16 million as ‘payola’ (payoff) from jueten operations when he was vice governor of the province.
Affiant Alwin Nimo, a former village and Sangguniang Kabataan chair of Barangay Anislag, claimed that he served as a ‘bagman’ for jueteng operators who provided “protection money” to Lagman.
In 2025, the Ombudsman ordered Lagman’s dismissal after he was found guilty of grave misconduct for allegedly receiving payola in exchange for protecting the operators of jueteng.
Lagman, however, has denied receiving any money from jueteng operators as well as from Nimo.
In its briefer, the Sandiganbayan Third Division noted that witnesses who executed sworn statements regarding Lagman’s involvement in the jueteng operations have already recanted and this resulted with the initial sworn statements being declared as “admissible hearsay” and can no longer be used to support other pieces of evidence presented by the prosecution.
