Manila barangay captain gets 10 years for graft

MANILA, Philippines — The Sandiganbayan has upheld the conviction of a barangay captain in Sampaloc, Manila for graft in connection with the use of the barangay’s name to take out personal loans.

In a decision promulgated on April 19, the anti-graft court’s Fifth Division denied the appeal of Barangay 404, Zone 41 captain Danilo Zausa to reverse the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 27 decision finding him guilty of violating  Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

The RTC earlier sentenced Zausa to six to 10 years in prison and perpetually disqualified him from public office.

He was also ordered to pay the private complainant, businesswoman Gloria Merza, P198,500 in actual damages.

In affirming the decision of the lower court, the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division said the prosecution established that in March 2016, Zausa misrepresented the barangay to obtain a P226,000 loan from Merza, claiming that the loan would be used to pay rent and procure office supplies for the barangay.

The prosecution said the barangay council never authorized Zausa to take out a loan, of which more than P170,000 remains unpaid despite repeated demands from the complainant.