A former official of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in the now-defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DENR-ARMM) has been sentenced to 112 years in prison for his involvement in the irregular procurement of office supplies and equipment worth P3.76 million in 2010.
The Sandiganbayan’s Sixth Division, in a ruling issued on February 6, found Sultan Usman Sarangani guilty of 16 counts of violating Section 3(e) of Republic Act 3019, also known as the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. He was sentenced to serve between six years and one month to seven years for each count, accumulating to a total prison term ranging from 97 years and four months to 112 years.
Despite the lengthy sentence, Sarangani will not serve the full term as the Revised Penal Code limits maximum imprisonment to 40 years under Article 70. In addition to his prison sentence, the court imposed a lifetime ban on Sarangani from holding public office.
The anti-graft court cleared him of 16 counts under Section 3(h) of RA 3019, citing the prosecution’s failure to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Meanwhile, charges against his co-accused, former DENR-ARMM accountant Nanayaon Dibaratun, were dropped following her death.
Case records revealed that instead of conducting a required public bidding, Sarangani and Dibaratun used small-value procurement or “shopping” without valid justification. The Office of the Ombudsman found that the purchased supplies came from businesses registered under Dibaratun’s name.
