Sandigan convicts Customs executive

MANILA, Philippines - The Sandiganbayan convicted a ranking official of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) for running away with P1.4 million he received as payment for an impounded car, which was not delivered to the buyer.

The Sandiganbayan 5th division found lawyer Jorge Monroy, Director III of Financial Services of the Customs bureau, guilty beyond reasonable doubt of violating Section 3(e) of Republic Act 3019, also known as the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and of committing the crime of estafa as defined by Article 315 of the Revised Penal Code.

A certain Juliet Lim-Co charged Monroy before the Office of the Ombudsman.                                                               

Records of the case showed that in July 2000, Monroy had enticed Co to buy vehicles confiscated by the BOC.

Monroy claimed that as director of the financial services bureau, he could purchase confiscated goods at a lower price and sell them at a higher price because he signs the release papers.

Co then agreed to buy a Toyota Land Cruiser that Monroy priced at P1.4 million and demanded a down payment of P150, 000 for. Co then issued him a check payable to cash. Three days later, Monroy called up Co to tell her that the papers had been processed and she may now pay the remaining balance in cash.

Co said Monroy himself received and counted the money. The vehicle, however, was not released on the same day supposedly because the documents still needed one more signatory. Co was instructed to return the next Monday but the vehicle was still not released.

Co then demanded an official receipt of the money from Monroy but instead received a letter of acknowledgment and a letter of guarantee that if the vehicle was not released on July 27, 2000, he would return the money.                         

Monroy still did not deliver the vehicle on the said date. Co then called him several times to inquire but he told her that no matter how hard she cried, she would not get her money back.

Monroy said the vehicle couldn’t be released because someone from his office had run off with the money and could no longer be found.                                                             

During trial, the prosecution led by Assistant Special Prosecutor III Froilan Dayco of the Office of the Special Prosecutor proved that the unlawful transaction caused injury to Co because the transfer of the vehicle to the complainant was never intended.

“It was false representation to sell the vehicle at a cheaper price coupled with Monroy’s statement made to complainant Co that the vehicles will not be released without his signature, that more than induced Co to part with her money in the amount of P1.4 million, which allegedly was immediately unlawfully taken away by someone who was not even part of the transaction, necessarily resulting in damage to Co in the said amount of P1.4 million,” the court said in its decision.

The anti-graft court sentenced Monroy to an indeterminate penalty of imprisonment from six years and one month to 12 years, with perpetual disqualification from holding public office for Violation of Section 3(e) of RA 3019; and imprisonment from four years and two months of prision correccional to 14 years, eight months and one day of reclusion temporal.

Monroy was also ordered to return to Co the amount of P1.4 million.