The Sandiganbayan has sentenced former Castillejos mayor Teofilo Pantaleon, Jr. to suffer the penalty of reclusion perpetua after he was convicted of two counts of Malversation of Public Funds through Falsification for ghost infrastructure projects in 1997 to 1998. He was also meted the accessory penalty of perpetual special disqualification and was ordered to pay a fine totaling P226,754.54 representing the total amount of public funds malversed.
In its Decision, the Sandiganbayan held that Pantaleon facilitated and processed the payment for the repairs of the municipal cemetery and barangay road without any supporting documents such as contracts, statement of work accomplished, notice to commence work, progress reports and contractor’s accreditation. This prompted the Commission on Audit to issue a notice of suspension.
Prosecutors from the Office of the Ombudsman established “that the money disbursed through the vouchers was never received by the construction companies allegedly contracted to execute the projects.”
“The prosecution’s evidence clearly shows that the accused acted in concert and conspired with [municipal treasurer] Jaime Vallejos to facilitate the illegal release of public funds,” stated the Decision.
The court noted that Vallejos died in 2010 while detained at the National Bilibid Prison.
Reclusion perpetua is a penalty which places a convict in prison for 20 to 40 years and also carries accessory penalties.###