Sandiganbayan orders San Enrique, Iloilo mayor and treasurer fined for delayed GSIS, Pag-IBIG remittances

The anti-graft court Sandiganbayan has ordered San Enrique, Iloilo Mayor Rosario Mediatrix Fernandez and the municipal treasurer to pay a fine of P700,000 after pleading guilty to delaying the remittance of P5.96 million in contributions from local government employees.

The decision was released to the media on Tuesday.

In the decision promulgated by the Second Division, the court found Fernandez and Celebrar guilty of 16 counts of violating Section 52(g) of the Government Service Insurance Act and 11 counts of violating Section 3(a), Rule VII, in relation to Section 1, Rule XII of the Home Development Mutual Fund Law.

The case against Fernandez and Celebrar stemmed from their failure to remit P5.34 million of GSIS contributions and P620,000 to Pag-IBIG within 30 days from the respective due dates in 2011 and 2012.

The Sandiganbayan said the accused moved for their re-arraignment and the withdrawal of an earlier plea of not guilty during case proceedings.

“Both accused Fernandez and Celebrar, through counsels, moved that they be allowed to withdraw their earlier plea of not guilty to the charges, and that they be re-arraigned. Since the prosecution did not interpose any objection, the court granted the motion,” the decision read.

The Sandiganbayan said the Office of the Special Prosecutor and private complainant Remie Conte “gave consent to the plea of guilty of accused Fernandez and Celebrar.”

The plea bargain allowed Fernandez and Celebrar to skip a sentence of nearly 150 years in prison from both charges.

Division chairperson Associate Justice Oscar Herrera Jr. penned the decision, with the concurrence of Associate Justices Michael Frederick Musngi and Lorifel Pahimna. —VDS, GMA News