Mary Ann Maslog, a former Department of Education (DepEd) official who previously faked her death to evade prosecution, was found guilty of graft by the Sandiganbayan on Tuesday.
The anti-graft court sentenced her to six to 10 years in prison and perpetually barred her from holding public office.
Maslog was convicted for her involvement in the anomalous procurement of P24 million worth of textbooks in 1998. The court found that she, along with two other DepEd officials, manipulated the procurement process to favor Esteem Enterprises, a company she represented.
The case against Maslog was previously dismissed in 2019 following reports of her alleged death.
However, investigations later revealed that her child had falsely reported her demise to mislead authorities.
During Tuesday’s promulgation, Maslog admitted to being briefly released from NBI detention earlier that day. She claimed to have voluntarily returned after being informed that she was considered a fugitive. The Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice ordered an investigation into this incident.
Maslog’s lawyer, Nicole Jamilla, stated that they would appeal the court’s decision.
“To protect the rights of the client and the rights of the accused, we will file a motion for reconsideration,” Jamilla, quoted by GMA News, said.
In 1998, Maslog, a publishing company agent, was charged along with two Department of Education, Culture, and Sports (now Department of Education) officials with graft over the 1998 textbook procurement scam.
The Office of the Ombudsman had alleged that the two DECS officials approved and processed documents for a supply contract favoring Esteem Enterprises, a company represented by Maslog.
In 2020, the two former DECS officials were convicted and sentenced to up to 10 years in prison. The case against Maslog was previously dismissed in 2019 following reports of her alleged death.