Sandiganbayan sentences Sajid Ampatuan to 128-year jail term over multiple graft
THE COUNTRY’s anti-graft court on Monday sentenced former Mayor Datu Sajid Islam Ampatuan of Shariff Saydona Mustapha, Maguindanao to about 128 years in prison for multiple counts of graft and malversation.
The Sandiganbayan First Division said in statement that it found Ampatuan “guilty beyond reasonable doubt on four counts of graft and four counts of complex crime of malversation through falsification of public documents to make it appear that P79 million worth of government funds were used to buy food supplies such as sardines, brown sugar, and dried fish from three different suppliers even though no such purchase was made.”
Sandiganbayan also perpetually disqualified Ampatuan from running for or occupying public office and ordered to pay around P79 million.
Ampatuan, who attended his promulgation virtually Monday.
He is currently a member of the Sangguniang Bayan of Shariff Saydona Mustapha, Maguindanao.
Ampatuan’s counsel, Atty. Glenn Nuestro said they will file a motion for reconsideration and moved to post a bail for the accused's continued provisional liberty.
Adolben Flores, government prosecutors, did not oppose the defense's motion but moved to double the cash bail bond posted by Ampatuan which currently stands at P580,000.