Janet Lim Napoles. Photo courtesy of PNA.
The Sandiganbayan found businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles and former Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Undersecretary Jerry Pacturan guilty of malversation involving Php 50 million intended for farmers in Luzon.
The court’s Sixth Division convicted Napoles and Pacturan on 10 counts of malversation of public funds through the falsification of public documents.
Napoles was also found guilty of 10 violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. Pacturan was acquitted of the graft charges after prosecutors failed to establish his guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
Napoles was sentenced to up to 20 years in prison for each malversation count and up to 15 years for every graft conviction.
Pacturan, meanwhile, received a maximum sentence of 19 years, one month and 11 days for each of the 10 malversation counts.
Prosecutors said Pacturan was listed as a signatory to 2011 agreements involving 10 local governments and 10 nongovernment organizations allegedly linked to Napoles.
Each local government was supposed to receive Php 5 million worth of agricultural supplies to be purchased by the organizations, but local officials testified that the projects were never implemented.
Eight mayors from Bulacan, Batangas, Pangasinan and Quezon also denied signing funding request letters presented in support of the projects. Prosecutors clarified that the money came from the DAR’s regular funds and not from the Priority Development Assistance Fund.