Sandiganbayan affirms graft conviction of Mary Ann Maslog in P24M textbook scam

The Sandiganbayan has upheld the graft conviction of Mary Ann Maslog for her role in a P24 million textbook procurement scam in 1998.

Maslog, who used multiple aliases and faked her death to evade prosecution, was found guilty of delivering falsified budget release orders on behalf of Esteem Enterprise, which received government funds without proper documentation.

On March 5, the court rejected Maslog's motion for reconsideration due to lack of new evidence or arguments, affirming her conviction alongside former DepEd officials Emilia Dela Vega Aranas and Ernesto R. Guiang.

The Sandiganbayan noted that Maslog’s actions during trial were suspicious, indicating a deliberate effort to avoid legal accountability.

Prosecutors presented clear evidence proving Maslog's involvement in fraudulent activities from securing falsified documents to processing government payments.

Maslog faces an indeterminate penalty of imprisonment and perpetual disqualification from holding public office, alongside former DECS officials who received sentences up to 10 years in prison.