THE Quezon City Regional Trial Court has sentenced two officials of the National Bureau of Investigation to a jail term of 23 years for their failure to remit a P1-million cash collection from clearance fees.
In a 20-page decision, Branch 226 Judge Manuel Sta. Cruz Jr. found officer in charge Ramil Rodriguez and satellite office chief cashier Elizabeth Sobrevilla guilty beyond reasonable doubt of malversation and violation of Section 3 (e) of Republic Act 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
He ordered the imprisonment of 10 years up to a maximum of 18 years and eight months of Rodriguez and Sobrevilla for malversation.
Rodriguez and Sobrevilla were also meted out a minimum of one year to a maximum of five years of imprisonment for violation of Section 3 (e) of RA 3019.
Sta. Cruz also directed Rodriguez and Sobrevilla to indemnify the government a P942,425 fine, the amount of government funds that they supposedly misused.
Both had been perpetually disqualified from holding public office.
Based on records, NBI operatives discovered some booklets of unused original clearance receipts in a vault in an unannounced inspection at the bureau’s satellite office in Quezon City in 2006.
Rodriguez and Sobrevilla failed to account for 120 booklets or 8,195 pieces of official receipts and to remit the clearance fees of P942,425.
“In the case at hand, the existence of conspiracy is very evident from the acts of accused Ramil Rodriguez and Elizabeth Sobrevilla. Ramil Rodriguez, in his capacity as officer-in-charge of the Quezon City NBI satellite office allowed accused Elizabeth Sobrevilla unhampered access to the vault, located inside his office, where the subject used official receipts and corresponding amount were supposed to be safe-kept,” the decision read.
“He [Rodriguez] should not have given a subaltern such blanket discretion. Evidently, such actions are tantamount to gross negligence on his part.”
According to the prosecution, Sobrevilla was liable for the missing clearance fees and even lent the money to other people.
On the other hand, the charges against former liaison officer Raul Angeles, now the NBI-QC chief, were dropped for lack of evidence.