Palace wants truth on new ‘pork’ probe
Malacañang hopes that the truth, not “slanted” or “doctored” truth, will come out of the new Senate inquiry on the pork barrel scam, which is said to have involved officials higher than lawmakers.
Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said President Duterte made public his wish to revisit the scandal, which involved the diversion of billions of congressional funds to non-existent projects and groups.
“The President wants the truth to finally come out and hold those involved, regardless of political color or party line, accountable,” Abella said.
“The Filipino people deserves to know the truth in this case, not the slanted truth nor the doctored truth,” he added.
Sen. Francis Escudero on Thursday said he might seek a new Senate probe on the pork barrel scandal to identify other individuals who benefited from the diversion of congressional allocations.
The pork barrel scam made headlines anew after its alleged mastermind, businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles, was acquitted of illegal detention charge last Monday.
Napoles was accused of detaining her second cousin, pork barrel scandal whistle-blower Benhur Luy, to prevent him from exposing the alleged irregularities in the use of congressional funds.
The Makati regional trial court found her guilty of serious illegal detention and sentenced her to 40 years imprisonment.
The Office of the Solicitor General, however, recommended her acquittal before the Court of Appeals, saying Luy was not deprived of liberty by Napoles. It cited the instances when Luy was allowed to meet with members of his family. The appellate court cleared Napoles last Monday.
Despite the acquittal, Napoles, who has tagged several lawmakers in the fund scam, is still in detention facing the non-bailable offense of plunder before the Sandiganbayan.
Napoles filed a motion to formally ask the Sandiganbayan for a transfer of custody to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
Napoles, through her lawyers, said it would be “improper and unjust” to allow her continued detention at the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW), saying the penal facility is for convicted prisoners.
Napoles asked the three divisions of the Sandiganbayan handling her plunder cases that she be transferred to a “more secured and restricted premises” at the NBI Custodial Center for security purposes.
Napoles is facing plunder cases before the First, Third and Fifth Divisions of the Sandiganbayan as co-accused of former senators Ramon Revilla Jr., Juan Ponce Enrile and Jinggoy Estrada, respectively.
Meanwhile, the prosecution team from the Office of the Ombudsman filed a motion before the First, Third and Fifth Divisions asking for Napoles’ transfer to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig.
The prosecution asked the court divisions to reiterate their 2014 commitment orders to have Napoles detained at Camp Bagong Diwa or to issue a new commitment order for her transfer to the same facility.
Napoles was detained at the BJMP for almost a year since July 2014. After the Makati court’s ruling finding her guilty of the illegal detention case, she was transferred to the CIW in April 2015.
Tainted witness
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II previously said his agency was reviewing the pork barrel cases and the possibility of tapping Napoles as state witness.
President Duterte had said it would be up to the courts to determine if she is qualified to become state witness who, under the law, should be the least guilty among the accused.