‘Napoles may have no choice but to tell all’
As she rues her first days in detention, businesswoman anet im-Napoles may have no choice but to tell all in the P -billion pork barrel scam to which prominent names, including lawmakers and magistrates, had been linked.
en. Paolo enigno “ am”Aquino I voiced the observation yesterday as he e - pressed confidence that any information from Napoles would greatly help authorities get to the bottom of the controversy, which has sparked the biggest show of public outrage against corruption under the Aquino administration.
The epartment of ustice is gathering more evidence against Napoles in connection with her alleged connivance with some officials in skimming billions of pesos from the Priority evelopment Assistance und P A , commonly known as pork barrel.
“Now that Napoles has surrendered, she can reveal who else is involved while the and the mbudsman are reviewing the evidence in order to determine who should be charged,” Aquino said.
“ nce Napoles tells all, the investiga- tion of the and the mbudsman will reveal more evidence,” Aquino said.
The is studying the possibility of making Napoles a state witness if she can establish that she is not the most guilty in the case.
Aquino stressed even high officials should be prosecuted if they are proven to have colluded with Napoles in stealing from P A .
“It is incumbent upon the officials to go after all who are involved in this crime. The government must do everything that it can to prosecute all those responsible for this to reform a system that has long been corrupted,” Aquino said.
At alaca ang, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail alte brushed aside allegations that Napoles would be used to discredit the opposition.
“They can continue to say what they want to say. What is clear to us is, first: the government’s aim is to know the truth. econd, bring to justice those who erred and give them the punishment that is in accordance with the law,” alte said.