Ex-PCIC executive gets 6 years for estafa

MANILA, Philippines - A former official of the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC) has been sentenced to six years in prison for estafa, the Office of the Ombudsman announced yesterday.

Jaime Domdom, former PCIC director, was ordered to pay a fine of P40,000 for submitting tampered receipts for reimbursement of miscellaneous expenses in 2001.

In a decision penned by Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Alex Quiroz, the anti-graft court found Domdom guilty of eight counts of estafa through falsification of public documents.

Ombudsman prosecutors presented witnesses from the Commission on Audit who testified that the vouchers issued to Domdom were altered.

After discovering the irregularity, state auditors issued notices of disallowance to Domdom in 2001 and 2002.