Sandiganbayan clears Pagcor exec of graft

The Sandiganbayan has cleared for lack of evidence a former official of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor), who was charged with graft and malversation for allegedly diverting P120.24 million to an anti-illegal drug foundation between 2005 and 2009. In a 132-page resolution, the antigraft court’s Third Division granted the demurrer to evidence by Estela Ramos, former Pagcor vice president for finance and treasury, questioning the prosecution’s evidence against her which, among others, contained check vouchers (CVs) she signed for the disbursement of funds. Ramos was indicted by the Office of the Ombudsman in 2017 for graft and malversation for supposedly giving unwarranted benefits to Batang Iwas Droga Foundation Inc. (Bida), for several events such as its Christmas party, a caravan, a parade, comics launching and a community contest. The checks were disbursed on six separate dates between October 2005 and October 2009. However, the Sandiganbayan said that based on witnesses’ accounts, the processing for the release of funds for Bida went through a process “involving various offices within Pagcor before it reached the desk of the accused for the preparation of the subject CVs.”