CABARROGUIS, Quirino -- The Sandiganbayan has convicted a former governor of Quirino of graft charges in connection with the purchase by the provincial government of second-hand heavy equipment in 1996.
In a 13-page decision penned by Associate Justice Francisco Villaruz Jr., the anti-graft court sentenced former Quirino Gov. Josie Castillo Co to up to nine years in prison and ordered her to indemnify R330, 490.78 to the provincial government.
The amount represents the interest on the illegal advance payment released to Nakajima Trading Co. Ltd., a Japanese supplier.
The court barred Co from holding any government position in the future.
Court records showed that on Oct. 20, 1995, Quirino’s Sangguniang Panlalawigan passed a resolution authorizing the provincial government to purchase brand new heavy equipment at the recommended cost of R43.5 million to be loaned from the Philippine National Bank.
But in executing the resolution, Co did not follow what was stipulated in the resolution as she caused the acquisition of second-hand heavy equipment worth 160.42 million yen, evidenced by the purchase agreement that Co signed with Nakajima for "reconditioned" units, which include a bulldozer, a backhoe, road grader, a water tank, dump truck, and a 10-wheel trailer truck.
In her defense, Co claimed that she acted on good faith because she made a prior consultation with lawyer Primo Marcos whom she identified as the province’s legal consultant. -- EFP
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