Prosecutor gets 10 years for bribery

MANILA, Philippines — A prosecutor based in Zamboanga City has been sentenced to up to 10 years in prison for bribing a complainant in a frustrated murder case.

In a 41-page decision promulgated on July 29, the Sandiganbayan Sixth Division said Zamboanga City deputy prosecutor Roselyn Murillo-Mamon and her co-accused private lawyer, Pherham Saiddi, were found guilty of violation of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

Aside from prison terms, Mamon was perpetually disqualified from holding public office.

Filed by the Office of the Ombudsman in 2017, the case stemmed from Mamon and Saiddi’s offer of P200,000 to then Police Officer 3 Flavio Enriquez Jr. in exchange for not pursuing the case filed against Phon Mohammad and Dadoh Mansul.

Saiddi was Mohammad and Mansul’s counsel while Mamon was lead prosecutor in the case.

The court said Mamon acted in bad faith and partiality when she paid Enriquez P200,000 in exchange for not implicating the accused.

The Sixth Division noted that Mamon and Saiddi admitted during trial that the amount of P200,000 was given to Enriquez on Aug. 16, 2013 at the prosecutor’s office.

Mamon and Saiddi were not aware that Enriquez had coordinated with the National Bureau of Investigation for an entrapment operation.

The court forfeited the P200,000 in favor of the government.