Ex-Bohol municipality mayor gets up to 40 years for graft

The Sandiganbayan has sentenced a former mayor of Panglao, Bohol with up to 40 years of imprisonment for four counts of graft in connection with the hiring of defeated candidates during the appointment ban in 2013.

In a 49-page decision promulgated on October 26, the anti-graft court found Leonila Paredes Montero guilty beyond reasonable doubt for four counts of violation of Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

For each count, Montero is sentenced to suffer a minimum imprisonment of six years and one month and a maximum of up to 10 years.

She is also perpetually disqualified from holding public office.

The court ordered Montero to return P1.3 million to the Panglao municipality, representing the salaries paid during the one-year appointment ban, with 6% legal interest reckoned from the finality of the decision.

“After a thorough review of the evidence on record, the court finds that the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt the guilt of Montero for four counts of violation of Section 3(e) of RA No. 3019,” it said.

“There is sufficient evidence showing that Montero acted with evident bad faith and manifest partiality to give unwarranted benefits to Hormachuelos, Reyes, Penales, and Fudalan,” it later added.

The cases stemmed from the hiring of four candidates in the May 2013 national and local elections as employees on a job order basis with a monthly salary of P25,000 each.

Montero had argued that the hiring of losing candidates on a job order basis is not covered by the prohibition and that the hiring of losing candidates on a job order basis is not prohibited under DILG Opinion No. 069-9.

The court, however, disagreed.

“The evidence shows that in hiring Hormachuelos, Reyes, Fudulan, and Penales as job order personnel, Montero had the furtive design and evil intent to circumvent the constitutional and statutory provisions prohibiting losing candidates from being appointed to the government within a year after elections,” it said.

Meanwhile, Montero was acquitted of Unlawful Appointments under Article 244 of the Revised Penal Code for failure of the prosecution to prove her guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

The court ordered the hold departure order against Montero to be maintained.

GMA News Online sought comment from Montero but has yet to receive a reply as of posting time.—AOL, GMA News