Janet Napoles gets 60 years in prison for graft

BUSINESSWOMAN Janet Lim Napoles was convicted by the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court for graft and sentenced to 60 years in prison, according to its ruling that was handed down on Friday.

In a 57-page decision, the Sandiganbayan also ordered Napoles to return P20,910,000 to the National Treasury, which represented the amount «wrongfully and illegally disbursed.» The anti-graft court said Napoles was found guilty «beyond reasonable doubt» of six counts for violation of «Section 3E of Republic Act 3019, which is causing any undue injury to any party, including the government, or giving any private party any unwarranted benefits, advantage or preference in the discharge of his official administrative or judicial functions through manifest partiality.» Napoles was accused with former South Cotabato 2nd District representative Arthur Pingoy Jr., former Budget undersecretary Mario Relampagos, and several others.

Janet Lim Napoles arrives at the Senate for the Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on Nov.7, 2013, on the alleged P10 billion Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam, which reportedly involves her group and several legislators. FILE PHOTO FROM SENATE WEBSITE

According to the ruling, Pingoy endorsed the Philippine Social Development Foundation Inc., a nongovernment organization that was controlled by Napoles for his district and was funded by his P20-million Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or «pork barrel» allocation in 2007. This case earned Napoles the moniker «pork barrel scam queen.» However, Pingoy, Relampagos, and several others named in the suit were acquitted, as the prosecution failed to prove their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

In a ruling on October 2, Napoles was acquitted of plunder because of insufficient evidence on charges that she and a certain Edgar de Leon Valdez accumulated P50 million of PDAF funds through kickbacks or commissions, but was found guilty of nine counts of «Corruption of a Public Official» and was sentenced to at least six years in prison for each count and had to pay a fine of nearly P27 million.