Sandigan convicts ex-PAGCOR chairman, 2 others on P37M fund for swimmers' training
The Sandiganbayan convicted former Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) chairman Efraim C. Genuino and two others of graft for misappropriating P37 million in public funds for the training of swimmers who competed in the 2012 Olympics.
Genuino, former PAGCOR president and chief operations officer Rafael A. Francisco, and Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman William L. Ramirez were sentenced from six to 10 years imprisonment for violation of Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
Their co-accused, former PAGCOR senior vice president Edward King and assistant vice president
for internal audit Valente C. Custodio, have been acquitted for failure of the prosecution to prove their guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
On the other hand, the case against former PAGCOR vice president for accounting Ester P. Hernandez and Philippine Amateur Swimming Association (PASA) president Mark P. Joseph has been ordered archived pending their arrest.
Genuino was been acquitted of his other graft charge, while the case against former executive
vice president and internal audit department head Rene Figueroa has been dismissed by virtue of a Supreme Court resolution in 2022.
The decision was promulgated by the anti-graft court on Friday, March 3. Presiding Justice Amparo M. Cabotaje-Tang wrote the decision with the concurrence of Associate Justices Bernelito R. Fernandez and Ronald B. Moreno.
In 2016, PAGCOR had P124.5 million funds allocated for the training of swimmers in preparation for the 2012 Olympics in London. From that amount, P37,063,488.21 million was directly disbursed to PASA, which is a national agency under the PSC.
However, PASA used the said government funds to pay for the use of TRACE Aquatic Center
(TAC) which is reportedly owned by Genuino and his family.