DESPITE belated attempts to rectify his mistakes, a former barangay chairman from Kapalong, Davao del Norte is facing nine to 13 years in jail for selling a dump truck to a private buyer in 2006 without the approval of the Barangay Council.
The Sandiganbayan Seventh Division denied Arthur Lontoc Jr.’s motion for reconsideration in which he asked the anti-graft court to reverse its September 19, 2023 decision that affirmed his conviction by the Tagum City Regional Trial Court Branch 1 on charges of graft and malversation of public funds.
Lontoc was found guilty of having sold an Isuzu dump truck owned by Barangay Pag-asa to a private buyer in December 2006 and pocketing the sales proceeds totaling P77,000.
Prosecutors said the transaction was not submitted for the approval of the barangay council.
Belatedly, the accused secured the council’s approval on May 25, 2007.
Later, Lontoc also canceled the sale, recovered the truck, and returned it to the barangay with more than P20,000 worth of repairs.
The court, however, said the crime was already consummated when the sale was completed in late 2006 and the belated actions of the defendant did not extinguish his culpability.
“The fact that an emergency meeting was held six months after the sale, three months after the complaint was already endorsed to the prosecutor’s office shows that it is an afterthought; sought to correct procedural and legal errors arising fi-om the negotiated sale,” the Sandiganbayan said.
It upheld the RTC’s decision sentencing the accused to six to seven years for the graft charge and three to six years for malversation on top of a P77,000 fine and perpetual disqualification from holding public office.
