Napoles gets life term for pork barrel scam

Janet Lim-Napoles will spend the rest of her life in prison after the Sandiganbayan sentenced her to over 100 years in cumulative jail terms for multiple counts of malversation and graft over the misuse of the late Benguet representative Samuel Dangwa’s Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).

- By ELIZABETH MARCELO

In a 165-page decision promulgated on Dec. 5, the Sandiganbayan Third Division found Napoles guilty of six counts of malversation of public funds under Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code and another six counts of violation of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

For two counts of malversation involving large sums of public money, she was sentenced to a life term or 20 to 40 years for each count.

For the four remaining malversation charges, she received 10 to 17 years of imprisonment each, while for each of the six graft charges, she was sentenced to six to 10 years in prison.

Aside from the prison terms, the Sandiganbayan also ordered Napoles to pay P44 million - the amount found to have been malversed — along with another P44 million to the Bureau of the Treasury as civil liability.