Imelda faces jail over graft conviction

Major setback: The sentence bars Marcos from holding public office, but she gets to retain her seat in the House of Representatives. — Reuters

MANILA: A Philippine court found former first lady Imelda Marcos guilty of graft and ordered her arrest in a rare conviction among many corruption cases that she’s likely to appeal to avoid jail and losing her seat in Congress.

The anti-graft Sandiganbayan court sentenced Marcos, 89, yesterday to serve 6 to 11 years in prison for each of the seven counts of violating an anti-corruption law when she illegally funnelled about US$200mil (RM835mil) to Swiss foundations in the 1970s as Metropolitan Manila governor.