Former Navy chief gets 24 years for graft after death

From Malaya Business Insight (Jan 18): Former Navy chief gets 24 years for graft after death

VICE Admiral (ret.) Mariano J. Dumancas Jr., former flag officer of the Philippine Navy, was convicted of multiple graft charges by the Sandiganbayan First Division together with four other former senior navy officers in connection with fraudulent procurement of medical supplies 25 years ago.

In a 60-page decision, the graft court found Dumancas and Commander Rosendo C. Roque, PN naval procurement officer, guilty of four counts of graft and were each sentenced to 24 years imprisonment.

Dumancas died last year, according to Capt. Lued Lincuna, chief of the Navy Public Affairs Office.

Commander Ramon C. Renales, PN price monitoring officer, was convicted of three counts and received an 18-year jail term.

Commodore Francisco I. Tolin, former deputy commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard, and Commander Manuel Ruason, also known as Manuel Tuason, former PN assistant chief of staff for logistics, both face six years behind bars for one count of graft.

Dumancas and Roque were acquitted on six other graft charges for insufficiency of evidence.

Two other Navy officers who were accused in two counts of graft, Captains Walter A. Briones and Alfredo V. Penola, remain at large, along with private defendants Ramon Vito and Connie Tagle who represented medical suppliers. The cases against private defendant Ben Edulag were dismissed when he died during pendency in court.

Commodore Lamberto R. Torres, who was named in eight counts of graft, had the charges against him dismissed by the Supreme Court on October 5, 2016 after he filed a petition for certiorari on the ground of violations of due process and his right to speedy disposition of the cases.

The cases filed in 2011 stemmed from a special audit of selected transactions of the Philippine Navy in 1991 and 1992 which found violations of procurement rules by resorting to emergency procurement and setting aside the requirement for public bidding in five separate transactions totaling P2.31 million.

The team of government auditors led by then State Auditor Mary Adelino found that the supposed emergency was unfounded because the purchased medicines were kept only for stocks.

Likewise, the team noted the violation of the emergency procurement rule requiring canvass of at least three suppliers.

“Based on the totality of evidence, the Court finds and so holds that the accused gave unwarranted benefits, advantage or preference to Jerso Marketing, PMS Commercial, Gebtruder Marketing, Dofra Pharmaceuticals, and Roddensers Pharmaceuticals,” the Sandiganbayan declared.

The court said the accused failed to justify direct contracting as a mode of procurement because they were unable to prove the existence of an emergency “which may involve the loss of or danger to life and/or property.”

http://www.malaya.com.ph/business-news/news/former-navy-chief-gets-24-years-graft-after-death