AFTER being found guilty of malversation of public funds and sentenced to a 51-year imprisonment, an erstwhile Philippine ambassador to Nigeria is being recommended for presidential pardon by the Sandiganbayan.
The anti-graft court’s First Division recommended executive clemency for Masaranga Umpa, who was found guilty of misuse of $80,478.80 or P3,749,948.98 of assistance-to-nationals standby funds in 2007.
Associate Justices Efren de la Cruz, Rodolfo Ponferrada and Rafael Lagos cited at least three reasons why Umpa should not be jailed and that he must be given such privilege.
They said Umpa is too old at 73 to be jailed, and that his long years of public service must be considered.
Moreover, the ex-envoy committed malversation out of his negligence, and not out of his deliberate act.
“The court, while it is obliged to apply the penalty provided for the offense charged, believes that it is too harsh and excessive under the circumstances, hence, pursuant to Article 5 Paragraph 2 of the Revised Penal Code, hereby recommends to the Chief Executive, through the Department of Justice, for the commutation of the penalty, if not pardon of the accused, in these cases,” the anti-graft court’s recommendation read.
The court will provide Justice Secretary Leila de Lima with a copy of its decision.
The Office of the Ombudsman indicted Umpa for receiving $95,856.08 from Nigeria for the negotiation and repatriation of 25 Filipino seamen who were abducted in Port Harcourt and Warri Delta State in February 2007.
A year later, the Department of Foreign Affairs created an internal audit team to conduct a special audit on certain transactions, including the ATN standby funds.
According to a March 23 official statement of the Ombudsman, Umpa was sentenced to imprisonment of 10 years and one day of prision mayor to 17 years, four months and one day of reclusion temporal as maximum for each of the three counts of malversation.
He was also meted out the penalty of perpetual special disqualification to hold office.
He was ordered to indemnify the DFA.
Umpa served as ambassador to Nigeria from 1996 to 2008, and was a former Lanao del Norte assemblyman.