Sandiganbayan upholds graft conviction of ex-BSP examiner

MANILA, Philippines – The anti-graft court Sandiganbayan has upheld the decision of the Calamba, Misamis Occidental Regional Trial Court (RTC) convicting a former officer of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) for graft.

The Sandiganbayan upheld the RTC’s 2024 decision that found Braulio Cloribel Jr. liable for having pecuniary interest when he acted as a consultant for the Rural Bank of Sapang Dalaga (RBSD) in Misamis Occidental, a bank that was under his authority as a BSP examiner. 

The BSP’s Investigation and Prosecution Group of the Office of the General Counsel and Legal Services had received an anonymous tip about a BSP examiner with a Bank Officer 1 position receiving consultancy fees from the said rural bank, using the name of his common-law wife, Rita Labadia.

“Clearly, the evidence established that accused-appellant Cloribel had a pecuniary interest in the contract of consultancy between RBSD and himself, but in the name of Rita Labadia of Prudential,” the Sandiganbayan said.

“Specifically, the evidence [shows] that accused-appellant Cloribel himself acted as RBSD’s consultant and collected the fees therefor supposedly intended for Rita Labadia.”

Cloribel was sentenced to six to seven years in jail, perpetually disqualified from public office, and ordered to pay P453,500 in total damages to the rural bank. – Rappler.com