Ampatuan convicted in P393 million graft case

MANILA, Philippines — Former Maguindanao governor Sajid Islam Ampatuan, now vice mayor of Shariff Saydona Mustapha town in the province, may lose his seat and face life in prison after the Sandiganbayan found him guilty of graft and malversation of public funds.

In a 66-page decision, the anti-graft court sentenced Ampatuan to eight to 12 years in prison for graft and life imprisonment for malversation of public funds over the anomalous spending of P400 million in public funds meant for the construction and rehabilitation of farm-to-market roads in Maguindanao which were not implemented.

His conviction for graft and malversation also means he is perpetually disqualified from holding any public office, affecting his 2022 electoral victory for vice mayor of Shariff Saydona Mustapha town in Maguindanao.

For his malversation conviction, Ampatuan was also ordered to pay the government P393 million “representing the value of the amount malversed.”

“As restitution, accused Ampatuan is further ordered to pay the same amount of P393 million… through the Bureau of Treasury, with interest of six percent per annum from the finality of this decision until fully paid,” the Sandiganbayan added.

Meanwhile, his co-accused Danny Calib – a former state auditor in the province when Ampatuan was governor-in-charge – was acquitted for the same charges due to the prosecution’s failure to prove his guilt beyond reasonable doubt. The Sandiganbayan also lifted the hold departure order against Calib.

The case stemmed from the agreements the provincial government entered into with the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in 2009 for the construction and rehabilitation of farm-to-market roads.

Despite repeated demands from the DAR to account for the funds, the Office of the Ombudsman said the respondents failed to submit any supporting documents such as liquidation reports, list of beneficiaries and certificates of acceptance of services or of the finished projects.

Since October 2022, Ampatuan had been convicted by the anti-graft court six times.

He received three life imprisonment sentences – including the latest –with the first being in 2022 when he was convicted of graft and malversation through falsification of public documents over the procurement of food supplies in 2009, which the court found never happened.

The second was in March 2023 for malversation of public funds over the fake purchase of farm supplies.

He also received a maximum of 112 years for eight counts of graft and falsification of public documents in January 2023 for several ghost rehabilitation projects; 848 years for 126 counts of falsification and four counts each of graft and malversation for the ghost procurement of construction materials in in February 2023.

Finally, he received a total of 28 years maximum for graft and malversation over the ghost procurements of food supplies amounting to P16.32 million.