The Court of Appeals has upheld the conviction of 10 police officers, including a former chief of Quezon City Police Station 9, for qualified bribery and for graft and corruption, over the release of two Hong Kong nationals arrested for possession of 1.5 kilos of shabu in August 1999.

In a 50-page decision written by Associate Justice Marlene Gonzales-Sison, the CA?s Eighth Division affirmed with modification the verdict of the QC Regional Trial Court Branch 95, sentencing Supt. Francisco Ovilla and Senior Insp. Edwin Misador to a maximum prison term of 40 years.

They were also found guilty under the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act for getting their fellow officers to keep mum about the incident that involved P650,000 for the release of the drug suspects.

Ovilla and Misador along with eight other officers were sentenced to death by then QC RTC judge and now Supreme Court Associate Justice Diosdado Peralta.

The other accused are SP04 Florendo Lucila, SP03 Benjamin Fonacier, SP01 Orencio Jurado and P03 Orlin Comia who had been found guilty as accomplices in the qualified bribery case and sentenced to 15 years plus another 12-year jail term for graft.

Acquitted were SP02 Teodorico Lado, SP01 Ronnie Rodaje, P03 Manuel Malong and P02 Ladislao Rebancos of the two charges.

In modifying the lower court ruling, the CA reduced to life the penalty imposed on Ovilla and Misador for the charge of qualified bribery and imposed another 12-year jail term for graft.

It also declared Jurado, Lucila, Fonacier and Comia as mere accomplices in the qualified bribery case and sentenced to 15 years plus another 12-year jail term for graft.

On Aug. 21, 1999, the police arrested one Ester Ulpindo in a sting. While she was detained, Ovilla demanded P200,000 for her release.

Two officers ratted on Ovilla and his accomplices in a media coverage that led Congress looking into the case. Rey E. Requejo