3 former Orani water district execs get 8 years for graft

The Sandiganbayan has found three former officials of the Orani Water District (OWD) in Bataan province guilty of graft in connection with the appointment of a disqualified board member in 2010.

In a 43-page decision penned by Associate Justice Rafael Lagos, the antigraft court’s Fifth Division convicted Edmund Lee Castañeda, Teresa Santos Santos and Reynaldo Torres Ibe Jr. of violations of Section 3(e) of Republic Act 3019, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and sentenced them to a maximum of eight years in prison.

The trio were also punished with perpetual disqualification from holding public office.

But the court acquitted former OWD general manager Benigno Peña Andres as the prosecution failed to prove his guilt beyond reasonable doubt. Another accused, Pagasa Pascual, died during trial, prompting the court to dismiss the case against her.

Court records showed that on Nov. 15, 2010, the accused OWD officials issued Board Resolution 19 appointing Ibe as the fifth member of the board of directors despite his temporary disqualification from holding a government post since he ran and lost in the May 2010 local elections.

According to the prosecution, Ibe’s appointment cost the government P274,000, representing the per diems and allowances he received.

“The accused public officers cannot claim they are unfamiliar with the laws because they are just ordinary citizens and are not lawyers,” the Sandiganbayan ruled.

https://abogado.com.ph/3-former-orani-water-district-execs-get-8-years-for-graft/