The Supreme Court (SC) ruled that actual ransom money does not need to be presented in court to secure a conviction for kidnapping for ransom.In a decision penned by Associate Justice Ricardo Rosario, the SC affirmed the conviction of Jose Olbato, Police Officer III Clayton Patingan, and another co-accused in the kidnapping of Genevieve Ong Sy.Sy was kidnapped while driving and held hostage in a house, with kidnappers demanding P50 million from her father.The ransom was later reduced to P500,000, and Sy’s driver delivered the marked money under police surveillance.Authorities rescued Sy, recovered the ransom, and arrested the accused.

The accused had argued their guilt wasn’t proven beyond reasonable doubt due to the absence of the actual ransom money in court, claiming it was lost in police custody.

The SC clarified that proving a ransom was demanded, negotiated, and delivered suffices, citing Sy’s father’s testimony and evidence of the ransom transaction during the police operation.The court sentenced the accused to up to 40 years in prison and ordered them to pay P300,000 in damages.

This ruling underscores the court’s focus on establishing the intent and process of ransom negotiations rather than physical evidence of the money itself.