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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Sandigan junks appeal of ex-Cebu customs official, private individual on graft conviction

Sandigan junks appeal of ex-Cebu customs official, private individual on graft conviction

Published Oct 23, 2023 03:18 am

The Sandiganbayan has dismissed the appeal filed by former Cebu customs official Benjamin C. Bongon and private individual Roger T. Ang seeking to overturn their graft conviction on the irregular sugar auction conducted in 2000.

In a decision dated Dec. 1, 2017, the Cebu City regional trial court (RTC) found Bongon and Ang guilty beyond reasonable doubt of violating Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and sentenced them to six to seven years imprisonment. They were also ordered to pay P10,859,063. Bongon was disqualified from holding public office.

Bongon and Ang were convicted for the irregular Bureau of Customs (BOC) auction for 13,753 bags of sugar worth P10.85 million in 2020. The RTC found that Bongon, who was the Auction and Cargo Disposal Division chief of the BOC-Port of Cebu, acted in conspiracy with Ang, who is the owner of Consumer Enterprises, to understate the number of refined sugar unloaded from MV Affy in a certification dated Aug. 29, 2000.

They reported that there were only 13,753 bags unloaded when in truth, there were 26,908 bags. The RTC said that they caused undue injury to the government in the amount of P10.026 million.

However, the RTC acquitted Bongon and Ang of the charge of estafa through falsification charge.

After their motion for reconsideration was denied by the RTC, they elevated their case to the Court of Appeals (CA) on Feb. 26, 2020. However, the CA denied their appeal on June 27, 2022 with a ruling that "it is the Sandiganbayan which has jurisdiction over these appeals."

On Sept. 25, 2023, the "entire records" of the subject case was received by the Sandiganbayan.

In its resolution, the Sandiganbayan lamented that the CA even transferred the case over to it when it should have "dismissed the appeal immediately."

"It is unfortunate that it took more than two years and four months for the CA only to just transfer the records of the case, when clearly it had no jurisdiction over the same," the resolution stated.

"Here, the Court need not transfer this case back to the CA and will instead dismiss the same... as clearly no correction of the appellate court designation was made within the 15-day period to appeal," it added.

Fifth Division Chairperson Associate Justice Rafael R. Lagos wrote the seven-page resolution with the concurrence of Associate Justices Maria Theresa V. Mendoza-Arcega and Maryann E. Corpus-Mañalac.

Related Tags

Sandiganbayan GRAFT CASE Bureau of Customs falsification Bureau of Customs (BoC) Court of Appeals appeal graft auction conviction
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