đŸ“· MindaNews
Anti-graft court Sandiganbayan has convicted Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) leader Nur Misuari over the ghost purchases of P77 million worth of learning tools during his tenure as governor of the now-defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) from 2000 to 2001.
In a decision promulgated on Friday, May 24, the Sandiganbayan acquitted Misuari of two counts of malversation but found him guilty of two counts of graft. One count of graft is equivalent to six years and one month to eight years of imprisonment.
Misuari’s counsel, Ma. Victoria Lim-Florido, said they would appeal the graft conviction. She expressed her gratitude to the court for acknowledging all of the evidence they had provided to establish Misuari’s innocence in the matter of public funds misuse.
Misuari’s co-defendants in the case are Leovigilda Cinches, Pangalian Maniri, Sittie Aisa Usman, Alladin Usi, Nader Macagaan, and Cristeta Ramirez.
All of them attended the proceedings with their lawyers, except for Cinches, who requested through her lawyer to receive the ruling “in absentia” due to health issues.
The court permitted them to post bail while awaiting the final resolution of the case and ruled to double the P30,000 bond for each count of graft.
In 2017, Misuari faced three charges of graft and malversation before the Sandiganbayan for P115 million worth of fictitious educational materials during his tenure as ARMM governor in 2000 and 2001.
The anti-graft court issued an arrest warrant for Misuari in September 2017. Later, he posted P460,000 in bail for his provisional freedom.
In September 2018, Misuari requested the dismissal of his case, stating that there was insufficient evidence to connect him to the incorrect transactions. He brought up the subject of inordinate delay as well.
But Misuari’s request was rejected by the Sandiganbayan, who asked him to put up his defense in court.
On January 14, 2019, Misuari submitted a move for reconsideration about the Sandiganbayan resolution, restating his earlier claim that he shouldn’t be held accountable for a transaction that was completed after he stepped down as ARMM governor.
Misuari has been charged with rebellion and crimes against humanity in relation to the 2013 Zamboanga siege, which claimed over 200 lives, in addition to his corruption case.
For Misuari to take part in his “campaign for peace” in Mindanao, then-president Rodrigo Duterte directed concerned government agencies to request the suspension of Misuari’s arrest warrant several months into his administration in 2016. (TCSP/ANGEL JOSE)
