Sandiganbayan denies former ARMM official's plea to overturn graft conviction

The Sandiganbayan has denied a plea from former ARMM official Sultan Usman Tantao Sarangani to overturn his conviction on 16 counts of graft, a ruling that could send him to prison for up to 112 years.

Sarangani, who was the former ARMM-Department of Environment and Natural Resources regional secretary, argued that the documentary evidence against him, which consisted of photocopies, was flawed.

The graft charges stem from alleged irregularities in the procurement of P3.76 million worth of office supplies and equipment in 2010.

He was found to have conspired with former ARMM regional accountant Nanayaon Dibaratun, who owned the supplier companies Ayezah Enterprises and Ashley Ventures.

Sarangani is accused of splitting the transaction into 16 smaller amounts to bypass the P500,000 threshold for competitive public bidding required by the Government Procurement Reform Act.