MANILA - The Sandiganbayan 2nd Division on Monday sentenced a former town mayor of Abra to 10 to 25 years in prison because of her unliquidated cash advances.

The anti-graft court also ordered former Baay-Licuan Mayor Aunnielyne Castillo, who was found guilty of malversation of public funds, to pay a total fine of P2.1 million, the amount of cash advances she received from April to June 2001.

In the decision penned by Associate Justice Ma. Theresa Dolores Gomez-Estoesta, the Sandiganbayan found irregularity in Castillo's use of cash advances, which came from the municipal government, without indicating any specific purpose.

During the trial, the former local government official also admitted she received a couple of checks and vouchers. But the Commission on Audit discovered that the disbursement vouchers to support the checks issued to Castillo were all missing.--report by Joyce Balancio, ABS-CBN News