Suspected Abu Sayyaf fund facilitator gets over 4 years after Zamboanga court OKs plea deal

CEBU, Philippines – A Zamboanga Court sentenced an alleged Abu Sayyaf fund facilitator to four years and 10 months after it approved her plea bargaining agreement admitting to the lesser crime of being an accessory in the commission of terrorism.

Judge Shaldilyn Bangsaja of Branch 33 of the Regional Trial Court in Zamboanga City issued the ruling on Norkisa Omar Asnalul in a decision dated April 4.

Asnanul was arrested in December 2023 for receiving money from foreign sources and cooperating with fellow ASG member Myrna Mabanza in the movement of funds for terrorist activities. 

Based court documents, Asnalul, through her legal counsel, filed a motion to enter into a plea-bargaining agreement and reduce the amount for her bail on February 29.

Under the agreement, Asnalul will withdraw her prior plea of not guilty to charges of three counts of violation of Section 8 of Republic Act no. 10168 or the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act, and instead plead guilty to three counts of violations to Section 7 of the same law.

Under RA 10168, violation of Section 8 – on the prohibition against dealing with property or funds of designated persons – carries a heftier punishment: reclusion temporal in its maximum period to reclusion perpetua and a fine of P500,000 to P1,000,000.

Section 7 defines an accessory to the crime of financing terrorism – a person with knowledge of the commission of the crime but does not take part after its commission. As Asnalul pleaded guilty to being an accessory to the crime of financing terrorism, her penalty is two degrees lower than the prescribed punishment for the principal.

“The Court finds no legal impediment to the plea-bargaining agreement entered into by the prosecution and the defense, particularly considering that the lower offense to which the accused wishes to now plead guilty to is penalized under the same law as that for which she is originally charged,” the ruling read.

Under the law, the penalty prescribed for terrorism financing is reclusion temporal in its maximum period or 12 years and 1 day to 20 years to reclusion perpetua, or at least 20 years and one day to a maximum of 40 years, including a fine of not less than P500,000 but not more than P1,000,000.

The court ruled that Asnalul would be imprisoned for a maximum of one year, 7 months, and 10 days for each count of, making it a total of 4 years and 10 months maximum. The ASG member was also fined with P300,000. – Rappler.com