Former mayor Datu Sajid Islam Ampatuan of Shariff Saydona Mustapha, Maguindanao has been sentenced to at least 128 years in prison for multiple counts of graft and malversation
The Sandiganbayan’s First Division found Ampatuan guilty beyond reasonable doubt on four counts of graft and four counts of complex crime of malversation through falsification of public documents to make it appear that P79 million worth of government funds were used to buy food supplies such as sardines, brown sugar, and dried fish from three different suppliers even though no such purchase was made, GMA News reported.
Ampatuan was also perpetually disqualified from running for or occupying public office and ordered to pay around P79 million.
Ampatuan, who attended his promulgation virtually, is currently one of the Sangguniang Bayan (Municipal Council) members of Shariff Saydona Mustapha, Maguindanao.
Lawyer Glenn Nuestro, Ampatuan’s counsel, said they will file a motion for reconsideration over the multiple convictions and moved to post a bail for the accused’s continued provisional liberty, the GMA News report said.