A TAGUIG City court has convicted the matriarch of the Maute family in Marawi City who was tagged by authorities as the financier of the Maute terrorist group’s activities and sentenced her to 17 years to life imprisonment and to pay P500, 000 in penalty to the government.
In a 39-page decision promulgated on May 15, 2024, Branch 266 of the Taguig City RTC found Ominta Romato Maute “guilty beyond reasonable doubt” of violation of Section 4 of Republic Act 10168, or the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012.
The court found her guilty of providing logistics and recruiting fighters for the Maute terrorist group.
Court records showed that on July 29, 2016, Ominta allowed her Toyota Innova vehicle to be used by five terrorists, namely, Mohammad Khayam Romato Maute, Omarkhayam Romato Maute, Abdullah Romano Maute, Mahater Romato Maute, and Najib Pundug.
The said vehicle was intercepted by security forces on the same day and several improvised explosive devices were seized. The occupants managed to flee.
Authorities also said Ominta connived with the five in committing several terroristic acts, such as the kidnapping and beheading of civilians in Lanao del Sur from April 4 to 10, 2016.
Ominta was arrested by security forces in 2017 in the municipality of Masiu, Lanao del Sur while Omarkhayam and Abdullah were killed at the height of the Marawi siege in 2017.
In December 2017, the Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Command said all seven Maute brothers had been killed by security forces.
In finding the Maute matriarch guilty, Judge Marivic Vitor said the prosecution was able to prove the elements of the crime of terrorism financing, namely her “willful intention in providing or making available a property and that the property, in full or in part, made available are to be used to carry out or facilitate the commission of any terrorist act by a terrorist organization, association, group or by an individual terrorist.”
“Evidently, the Toyota Innova was made available to be used to carry out or facilitate the commission of a terrorist attack committed by a terrorist organization, in this case, the Maute Terrorist Group and or ISIS Ranao,” Vitor said in her ruling.
“All told, the prosecution has proven beyond reasonable doubt the guilt of Ominta Romato Maute for the crime of violation of Section 4 of R.A. 10168. Consequently, Ominta shall be meted with the penalty of reclusion temporal of 17 years, four months and one day to reclusion perpetua, and to pay a fine of P500, 000,” he added.
The court also forfeited the Toyota Innova vehicle in favor of the government.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla hailed the RTC ruling and the DOJ’s Counter-Terrorism Financing Task Force led by Senior Deputy State Prosecutor Peter Ong for “successfully securing the conviction” of the Maute matriarch, whom he described as a “high-value target and terrorism financier.”
