NBN-ZTE deal whistleblower Jun Lozada found guilty of graft in Philforest case

The Sandiganbayan on Tuesday found engineer Rodolfo Noel “Jun” Lozada Jr. guilty of graft for granting separate leasehold rights over public lands to his brother and to a private company with ties to him under the Lupang Hinirang program of the Philippine Forest Corp. (Philforest).

The anti-graft court's Fourth Division on Tuesday found Lozada and his brother, Jose Orlando Lozada, guilty of violating Section 3(e) of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

Lozada and his brother were sentenced  to six to 10 years and one day imprisonment.

The brothers, however, were found not guilty of violating Section 3(h) of RA 3019 over the case.

The Ombudsman accused Lozada of conflict of interest and partiality when he granted a 6.59-hectare leasehold right to his brother, Jose Orlando, on December 18, 2009.

At the time, Lozada was president and chief executive officer of Philforest, a government-owned and -controlled corporation under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Lozada was a whistleblower in the multi-million NBN-ZTE deal involving former President and now Pampanga 2nd District Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. —ALG, GMA News