Jail term moot for deceased city treasurer in Marquez case

A jail term of up to 50 years will no longer apply to the former city treasurer of Parañaque City who along with former mayor Joselito "Joey" Marquez was convicted of graft over an anomalous P2.9-million broom deal. GMA News reported Thursday night that former city treasurer Silvestre de Leon died as early as Tuesday this week. He succumbed to diabetes. De Leon was one of the former city officials the Sandiganbayan convicted Thursday for graft and sentenced to 50 years' imprisonment. Marquez posted a P240,000 bail Thursday and said that he will file an appeal after he and three co-accused were convicted of graft by the Sandiganbayan. In a 30-page decision, the graft court ruled that Marquez and three other former city officials caused undue injury to the government because of the walis tingting (broom) deal. The walis tingting, bought between January 1996 and September 1997, were overpriced by P462,708, the Commission on Audit (COA) found. Aside from Marquez, those convicted included de Leon, Marilou Tanael (city accountant), and Ofelia Caunan (officer-in-charge, general services section). Marquez and the three co-accused were ordered to each post P90,000 bail bonds, as well as P150,000 additional cash bonds. They were also instructed to reimburse the P462,708, or the deal's overpriced value. Acquitted for insufficiency of evidence were three other respondents, including former city budget officer Flocerfida Babida, mayor's office staff Ailyn Romea and trader Antonio Razo. Razo owns ZARO Trading, which entered into several purchase contracts with the Parañaque government. - GMANews.TV