The Sandiganbayan has upheld the verdict against former PAGCOR chairman Efraim Genuino and four other former officials of the agency for the misuse of P50.05 million PAGCOR funds.
According to the Third Division resolution issued on October 1, Genuino and his four associates failed to present new evidence or reasons to change the verdict. Also denied were motions for reconsideration by former PAGCOR president Rafael Francisco, senior VP Rene Figueroa, senior VP for corporate communications Edward “Dodie” King, and assistant VP for internal audit Valente Custodio.
On May 9, 2025, they were found guilty of five counts of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and five counts of malversation of public funds. In addition to the fine, the court ordered them to pay the government P40.407 million with 6% interest per year until paid in full.
The case was filed by the Office of the Ombudsman in 2013 and related to PAGCOR's improper spending from 2005 to 2008 for the purchase of tarpaulins, t-shirts, caps, and other promotional items, as well as for the BIDA Foundation founded by Genuino in 2003. The court maintained that the purchases did not go through public bidding or the Procurement Department's process and only used small-value procurement or “shopping” without proper justification.
The court also cited that the cost for ID cards and pins of BIDA members amounted to more than P9 million, which is one of the evidences of mismanagement of funds.
