Zamboanga city: The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Monday announced that prosecutors have successfully secured the conviction of a former Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) employee in Zamboanga City for multiple counts of money laundering. This conviction follows complaints filed by the Anti-Money Laundering Council Secretariat (AMLCS).

According to Philippines News Agency, Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Mary Jane Sytat, along with AMLC legal officers lawyers Charlemagne Tambo and Claudine Joy Gonzales, managed the prosecution of cases involving direct bribery, robbery with intimidation, and violations of Republic Act (RA) 3019, also known as the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. These cases were filed at the Prosecutor’s Office in Zamboanga City.

The Zamboanga City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 12 found BIR Revenue Officer IV Flora Sarau Albao of Revenue District No. 93A of BIR Zamboanga City guilty of violating Sections 4(a) and 4(b) of RA 9160, the Anti-Money Laundering Act. Albao was apprehended in an entrapment operation by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in 2022 for extorting PHP500,000 from a person identified as Ms. Ledesma.

Further investigations by the NBI and AMLC revealed that Albao held 36 bank accounts across four different banks. Despite her position as a Revenue Officer IV with a Salary Grade 19, which provided a monthly income of PHP49,835 and an annual income of PHP598,020, Albao deposited an average of PHP93,000 from May to August 2022, significantly exceeding her salary during that period.

Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida emphasized the importance of accountability and integrity in public office, stating, “Public office demands a higher standard of accountability and integrity. Those entrusted with the privilege to serve must not only perform with excellence but also uphold the highest degree of candor in all their dealings – this is the benchmark that our Bagong Pilipinas government will never compromise.”

The RTC Branch 12 sentenced Albao to seven to 13 years of imprisonment for the first six money laundering cases, along with a PHP3-million fine for each count. For the remaining six money laundering cases, she received a sentence of four to six years of imprisonment and a PHP1.5-million fine for each count. These sentences are to be served successively.