Ex-NABCOR president charged with graft

A former official of the now defunct National Agribusiness Corporation (NABCOR) has been indicted for graft at the Sandiganbayan for allegedly paying P4.8 million in favor of a contractual staff member.

Graft investigators from the Office of the Ombudsman filed one count of violation of Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act against former NABCOR president Honesto Baniqued.

His case has been raffled off to the Fifth Division.

From April to July 2012, Baniqued allegedly granted unwarranted benefits in favor of a certain Rodolfo V. Romero.

The prosecution said Baniqued approved the payment of P4.8 million in favor of Romero. This amount represents half of the stipulated salary under Romero’s contract.

However, the prosecution said Romero was not supposed to receive the funds given the lack of documentary evidence to support his claim of payment, “thereby causing undue injury to the government.”

A total bail bond of P30,000 has been recommended in the case.

NABCOR, the corporate arm of the Department of Agriculture, closed down in 2014 after being dragged in the multi-billion-peso pork barrel fund scam. —Joseph Tristan Roxas/KBK, GMA News