Former pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Napoles and former Agusan del Sur Representative Rodolfo Plaza have been acquitted by the Sandiganbayan in a case involving the alleged misuse of P27.5 million in PDAF funds.
The Sandiganbayan has acquitted Janet Napoles , former Agusan del Sur Representative Rodolfo Plaza , and several others of graft and malversation charges related to the alleged misuse of P27.5 million worth of Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel . Despite this acquittal, Napoles will remain imprisoned as she has been convicted in other graft and malversation cases stemming from the misuse of lawmakers' pork barrel .
The cases originated from allegedly anomalous agricultural projects endorsed by Plaza to the Social Development Program for Farmers Foundation, Inc. (SDPFFI) and implemented using Plaza's PDAF in 2008 and 2009. In a 234-page decision issued on February 5th, the Sandiganbayan Second Division ruled that the prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Plaza, Napoles, and their co-accused misappropriated the funds. The court stated, 'This Court declares the accused, save for those who remain beyond the jurisdiction of this Court, innocent for failure of the prosecution to prove their guilt beyond reasonable doubt.'The Sandiganbayan Second Division cleared Napoles and Plaza of five counts of violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and five counts of malversation of public funds under Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code. The court justified their acquittal by applying the operative fact doctrine, which recognizes that actions taken in good faith and within the law at the time of execution are considered valid, even if later deemed problematic. Plaza's PDAF releases were deemed 'valid government releases' as he acted within the legal framework at the time. The court further emphasized that there was no evidence indicating ill-will or malevolence on the part of Plaza or Napoles, and that their actions were in line with customary practices prevalent during that period. Additionally, the court found no basis for the allegations that Plaza received kickbacks or bribes in connection with the Special Amount Release Orders (SAROs).
Sandiganbayan Janet Napoles Rodolfo Plaza Pork Barrel Acquittal Graft Malversation Anti-Graft Law
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