Judge gets 25 years in jail for extort

The Sandiganbayan’s third division sentenced an Angeles City municipal trial court (MTC) judge to 25 years in jail for extortion and estafa.

In a 19-page decision Wed—nesday, the anti-graft court convicted Judge Wilfredo Suriaga as it junked his claim that he was just framed up by agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

Suriaga, according to the court, was caught red-handed receiving marked money from spouses Federico and Joselin Calilung during an NBI entrapment operation on April 19, 1999.

"He (Suriaga) did not impute any ill motive on the part of spouses Calilungs as well as the NBI operatives who conducted the entrapment operation. The NBI operatives were presumed to have acted in the regular performance of their official duties," the court said.

The Calilungs testified that the MTC judge had demanded P250,000 from them in exchange for brokering a favo—rable ruling on their ejectment case which was pending before another judge.

Prosecutors said Suriaga gave false assurances because he was never in actual contact with Angeles City Regional Trial Court Judge Philbert Iturralde, who was handling the Calilungs’ case.

The couple later filed a complaint with the NBI which, in turn, promptly laid out an entrapment using marked P1,000 bills.

Suriaga was sentenced to five years in jail for extortion and an additional 20 years for estafa. He was also ordered to pay a P2,000 fine and was perpetually disqualified from holding public office.