MANILA — The Sandiganbayan acquitted former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Alan Purisima and 16 others of graft over the allegedly irregular 2011 courier service deal with WerFast Documentary Agency, Inc.

In an 83-page decision dated December 5 but released Sunday, the anti-graft court’s Sixth Division cleared Purisima and several former PNP officials after the prosecution failed to prove their guilt beyond reasonable doubt. The acquitted officials include former Firearms and Explosives Office (FEO) and Central Luzon police director Raul Petrasanta; former Central Security Group chief Gil Meneses; former FEO chief Superintendent Napoleon Estilles; and other FEO senior officials.

The five WerFast incorporators also acquitted were Mario Juan, Salud Bautista, Enrique Valerio, Lorna Perena, and Juliana Pasia.

The court also ordered the release of the cash bonds posted by the accused for their provisional liberty, and lifted previously issued hold-departure orders, directing the Bureau of Immigration to remove their names from the hold departure list.

According to the Sandiganbayan, the accused police officers did not act with manifest partiality, evident bad faith, or gross negligence when accrediting WerFast as the PNP’s courier service. “Although the evidence presented by the accused police officers would reveal that indeed the documentary requirements submitted by WerFast for accreditation as courier service provider were lacking, the same cannot support a finding that they are guilty of having acted with evident bad faith,” the decision read.

The court found no evidence of conspiracy between the officials and the private individuals involved, noting that the May 2011 memorandum of agreement (MOA) was never implemented and therefore could not form the basis for a violation under the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

The case stemmed from allegations that Purisima entered into the MOA with WerFast despite the firm lacking Securities and Exchange Commission registration, Department of Transportation authorization, and Department of Science and Technology accreditation. The Ombudsman’s findings also noted that no public bidding was conducted and that WerFast had no prior track record as a courier service.

The graft charges were formally filed before the Sandiganbayan in May 2016.