US help to recover Napoles’ wealth welcomed

Malacañang yesterday welcomed the move of the US Department of Justice to seize the property and assets of Janet Lim- Napoles, the suspected mastermind of the pork barrel scam, amounting to $12.5 million.

“Of course, we welcome all efforts, especially when it comes to matters like these. We already have a good working relationship with the United States because, we must remember, there was a previous case wherein they also initiated forfeiture proceedings,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said.

Last June, the US government turned over to the Philippines around $1.4 million as part of the proceeds from the forfeited assets of former military comptroller Carlos Garcia.

“I know that they are a big help, especially since they initiate forfeiture proceedings faster,” Valte said, citing the case against the former general.

US authorities said the $1.4-million check represented the net proceeds resulting from the sale of a condominium unit in Manhattan, New York and the funds from two accounts maintained in Citibank, New York that were part of the laundered properties of Garcia.

In January 2012, the US government initially turned over to the Office of the Ombudsman $100,000 or P430,000, representing cash seized by US customs authorities from the two sons of Garcia in California in December 2003.

The seizure triggered the investigations into the transactions entered into by the former general.

In the case of Napoles, a report from the Federal Bureau of Investigation said the civil forfeiture complaint sought to recover the California assets of alleged pork barrel scam mastermind found in the US.