MANILA — The Sandiganbayan has convicted businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles and several co-accused of malversation and graft in connection with the misuse of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of the late Benguet lawmaker Samuel Dangwa.

In a 165-page decision dated November 21, Napoles was sentenced to reclusion perpetua — equivalent to 20 to 40 years in prison — in multiple malversation cases. She was also found guilty of six counts of graft, each carrying six to 10 years of imprisonment, perpetual disqualification from holding public office, and loss of retirement benefits. Napoles has been detained since 2015 at the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) in Mandaluyong City due to previous convictions.

In one malversation case involving P10 million of Dangwa’s PDAF, Napoles was convicted alongside former Technology Resource Center (TRC) deputy director Dennis Cunanan and CARED Foundation head Mylene Encarnacion. The three were ordered to return the P10 million to the government with 6% annual interest and pay fines equivalent to the misappropriated amounts.

In another case involving P9 million, Napoles and former National Livelihood Development Corporation (NLDC) president Gondelina Amata were sentenced to reclusion perpetua and fined P9 million, with joint and several liability to return the misused funds plus interest.

Other co-accused in separate malversation cases received penalties ranging from prision correccional to reclusion temporal, and were also ordered to reimburse the misappropriated funds with legal interest. Charges against deceased accused, including Dangwa, were dismissed.

State prosecutors said the accused diverted public funds meant for legitimate agricultural programs into kickbacks, citing evidence from Special Allotment Release Orders (SARO), payments to Erwin Dangwa, and the identification of bank accounts.

The Sandiganbayan ruled that “the funds were misappropriated through these fictitious projects, as no actual services or goods were provided to the intended beneficiaries. Instead, the funds were funneled to non-functional organizations with no capacity to implement the projects.”

The court also noted that implementing agencies, including TRC, National Agribusiness Corporation (NABCOR), and NLDC, “acted as mere conduits, facilitating the transfer of funds to Napoles-affiliated NGOs without any oversight or legitimate project execution. These actions constitute a deliberate scheme to defraud the government, and misappropriate public funds.”

The decision was penned by Associate Justice Ronald B. Moreno, with Associate Justices Edgardo M. Caldona and Arthur O. Malabaguio concurring.