Manila: A regional trial court has sentenced a Filipino businesswoman to 40 years in prison for illegally detaining her employee for three months.

Janet Napoles was guilty of helping her brother Reynaldo JoJo Lim detain Ben Hur Luy, her former employee, from December 19, 2012 to March 22, 2013, on suspicion that he wanted to reveal details of her illicit operations that had enriched several of the country’s lawmakers, Judge Elmo Alameda of Makati City’s regional trial court said.

The ruling could strengthen the government’s case filed against Napoles in an anti-graft court, claiming that she lured senators and congressmen to misuse their development funds in a scam involving P10 billion (Dh833.3 million), sources said.

Napoles should pay Luy P50,000 (Dh4.166.66) in moral damages, and another P50,000 (Dh4,166.66) in civil damages, Alameda wrote in a 26-page decision read on Tuesday.

The prosecution successfully showed that Napoles and her brother, who remains at large, illegally detained Luy for three months, the judge said, adding she conspired with her brother because she had the power to release the employee but “her inaction can be constructed as assent to her [brother’s] evil deeds”.

The judge also threw away her claim that Luy was not missing but went on “a three-month spiritual retreat”.

Napoles did not enter a “not guilty” plea during her arraignment.

She waived her right to testify and “prevented the prosecution from examining her to test her credibility,” the judge said.

The court’s ruling would make it easier for the Sandiganbayan, a government anti-graft court, to hear the case filed against Napoles, that she allegedly lured senators and congressmen to misuse their Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).

In the scam, senators and congressmen approved the release of their PDAF to non-existing NGOs, ostensibly to be used for livelihood projects for poor people. Napoles had established the bogus organisations specifically for the scam, said the complaint filed by the justice department and the National Bureau of Investigation.

Lawmakers would get 45 per cent of the released funds, while an additional 10 per cent was reserved for trusted staff members, 35 per cent for Napoles, and 10 per cent to officials in charge of releasing PDAF, and those in government agencies where the ghost projects were attached.

Luy was detained because Napoles suspected he wanted to replicate her scam operation, the government’s complaint said.

Three senators and other government officials were imprisoned when the scam was revealed. They denied the charges, saying they were victims of political persecution.

Napoles remains detained at Camp Diwa in Metro Manila’s suburban Taguig City.