Ex-councilor gets over 100 years for ghost employees

The Sandiganbayan has sentenced a former councilor of Quezon City to over 100 years in prison for multiple counts of graft and malversation in connection with his office's alleged disbursement of funds for the payroll of ghost employees in 2009.

- By ELIZABETH MARCELO

In a 67-page decision promulgated on Aug. 12, the anti-graft court's Fifth Division found Dante de Guzman guilty of 16 counts of violation of Section 3 (e) of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and another 16 counts of the complex crime of malversation of public funds through falsification of public documents under the Revised Penal Code.

He was sentenced to six years and one month up to eight years of imprisonment for each count of the graft offense, or a total of up to 128 years for the 16 counts.

For the malversation case, De Guzman was sentenced to six to 10 years of imprisonment for each count, or a total of up to 160 years for the 16 cases.

De Guzman does not have to actually serve the total period of his sentence behind bars, as the country's penal system limits the maximum period of imprisonment for a felony to only 40 years.

Aside from imprisonment, the court also ordered De Guzman's perpetual disqualification from holding public office and the forfeiture of all his retirement and gratuity benefits.