Napoles, ex-Davao Del Norte solon found guilty in PDAF scam | ABS-CBN

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Napoles, ex-Davao Del Norte solon found guilty in PDAF scam

Napoles, ex-Davao Del Norte solon found guilty in PDAF scam

Adrian Ayalin,

ABS-CBN News

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MANILA — Former Davao del Norte 1st District Rep. Arrel Olaño was found guilty of three counts of graft, three counts of malversation and one count of direct bribery in connection with the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam.

In the decision of the court promulgated on June 30, 2023, Olaño was sentenced to suffer imprisonment of 6 to 10 years for each of his graft cases.

For the malversation cases, he was sentenced to imprisonment of 6-12, 10-16, and 6-12 years.

For the direct bribery case, Olaño was sentenced to imprisonment of 4 to 9 years.

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Also found guilty were Olaño’s co-accused, former businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles, former Technology and Livelihood Resource Center (TLRC) manager Maria Rosalinda Lacsamana and private individuals Mylene Encarnacion and Evelyn De Leon.

The court gave weight to the testimony of whistleblower Benhur Luy as well as pieces of documentary evidence, which included Luy’s daily disbursement reports, bank documents and a report by the Anti-Money Laundering Council.

“The fraudulent scheme could not have been consummated without the indispensable involvement of accused Olaño and accused TRC official Lacsamana, together with accused private individuals Napoles, Encarnacion and De Leon,” the court said in the decision penned by Associate Justice Edgardo Caldona, with the concurrence of Division Chairperson Oscar Herrera Jr. and Associate Justice Malabaguio.

In the information filed by the Office of the Ombudsman, Olaño and his co-accused used a scheme to divert PDAF amounting to P1.89 million, P4 million and P2.5 million to non-existent projects in 2007.

Olano’s principal defense during trial was that his signatures were forged.

Olaño’s co-accused, former Department of Budget and Management officials and employees Mario Relampagos, Rosario Nuñez, Lalaine Paule and Marilou Bare, as well as TLRC deputy director Dennis Cunanan, manager Francisco Figura, accountant Marivic Jover and auditor Maurine Dimaranan were acquitted for the failure of the prosecution to prove their guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

"Considering that facts from which civil liability might arise do not exist, said accused cannot be held liable therefor," the court said.

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