Ampatuan’s life sentence over ‘ghost’ projects upheld

MANILA, Philippines — The Sandiganbayan has upheld its earlier ruling sentencing former Maguindanao governor Sajid Islam Ampatuan to life in prison in connection with fictitious farm-to-market road projects.

In a 10-page resolution promulgated on March 24, the anti-graft court’s Third Division said Ampatuan failed to raise new arguments in his appeal to reverse the ruling, which found him guilty of graft and malversation of public funds.

Ampatuan is vice mayor of Shariff Saydona Mustapha town in Maguindanao.

The Third Division earlier sentenced Ampatuan to eight to 12 years in prison for violation of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and disqualified him from holding public office.

For malversation, Ampatuan was sentenced to 20 to 40 years in prison and ordered to indemnify the government P393 million, equivalent to the amount of public funds found to have been misused.

Filed by the Office of the Ombudsman in 2020, the cases stemmed from an agreement entered into between the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and the provincial government during Ampatuan’s term as governor in 2009.

The agreement involved the construction and rehabilitation of several farm-to-market roads, which the ombudsman said were not implemented.

State prosecutors said the provincial government failed to submit liquidation reports despite repeated demands by the DAR.