Ombudsman files pork plunder raps vs JPE, Jinggoy, Bong, Napoles, 5 co-accused

MANILA, Philippines - The Office of the Ombudsman on Friday filed plunder charges before the Sandiganbayan against those allegedly involved in the multibillion-peso pork barrel scam led by senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada, and Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr, Janet Lim-Napoles, and their five co-accused.

The five others are Jessica Lucila Reyes, Ronald John Lim, John Raymond de Asis, Pauline Labayen, and Richard Cambe.

Reyes is the former chief of staff of Enrile. Lim is Napoles' nephew. De Asis, president of the allegedly bogus Kaupdanan para sa Mangunguma Foundation, is said to be Napoles' driver-bodyguard. Labayen is Estrada's deputy chief of staff, while Cambe is Revilla's chief of staff.

Employees of the Ombudsman's office with four boxes of documents in two trolleys went to the Judicial and Records Division of the Sandiganbayan to file the cases against the accused.

The cases are expected to be raffled off next week and assigned to a division of the anti-graft court that will determine whether there's probable cause to make an arrest. The anti-graft court has 10 days to issue arrest warrants.

At the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City Friday afternoon, journalists saw that the road on Lt. Alagar Street in front of the PNP Custodial Center near the crime laboratory was blocked with traffic cones past 2 p.m.

Past 3 p.m., policemen carrying high-powered firearms were seen arriving at Camp Crame.

Respondents to the pork barrel cases are expected to be arrested by authorities from the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and brought to the PNP's Custodial Center once the warrants are issued against them.

source: interaksyon.com

Truth will save your life or be the best revenge, Miriam tells Napoles

MANILA, Philippines -- Telling the truth about the P10-billion pork barrel scam will either save her life or, failing that, be her best revenge against those out to murder her, Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago told Janet Lim-Napoles.

“Gusto nilang patayin ka, kasi nandiyan sa utak mo ang pagkasira, hindi lamang ng kanilang kayamanan, kundi ng kanilang buhay (They want to kill you because in your brain lies the destruction not only of their wealth but of their lives),” Santiago told Napoles, as she urged the businesswoman accused of engineering the scam in collusion with lawmakers and other government officials to identify the most guilty parties in the embezzlement of huge sums in congressional pork barrel.

And in case she is murdered, Santiago told Napoles, her testimony would at least be perpetuated.

“Ngayon pa lang sabihin mo na kung sino ang most guilty dito kasi sakaling mapatay ka, puwedeng gamitin ang testimonya mo dito na parang affidavit na maaaring gamitin sa korte (Right now you better say who is the most guilty here because if you are killed, your testimony here can be like an affidavit that can be used in court),” Santiago said. “Mawawalan ka ng problema, hindi mamamatay ang testimonya mo (You will get rid of your problems, your testimony will not die).”

Santiago also suggested that Napoles petition the court for the perpetuation of her testimony.

“Dahil pinag-iinitan ka, puwede kang humingi ng (Because you are under threat, you can ask for the) perpetuation of testimony, (for) which you can file a petition before the court,” she said. “Kung kumbinsido ang korte na kung mapatay ka at hindi makakamit ang katarungan, papayag ang korte na bigyan ka ng (If the court is convinced that justice will not be attained if you are killed, the court will grant) perpetual testimony.”

“Kaya habang buhay ka, mapanganib ang buhay mo, kasi nasa panganib ang buhay nila, maraming panganib sa buhay nila. Habang buhay ka, sabihin mo na (That’s why, while you’re still alive, your life is in danger because their lives are in danger, there are many threats to their lives. While you are alive, tell all). These people are murderous, they are planning your murder,” Santiago said.

 “Kasi kung mapatay ka, nagantihan mo na sila, ipapatay ka nila, kaya habang buhay ka pa, gantihan mo na sila, magbigay ka ng (Because if you are killed, you would have struck back already, they are out to kill you, so while you are still alive, strick back, give your) perpetual testimony,” Santiago said.

“Pag-isipan mo ‘yan, para sa abogado mo ‘yan (Think about that, that’s for your lawyer),” she added.

source: interaksyon.com

Huffington Post, international press, fall for hoax Jeane Napoles bathtub pic

MANILA, Philippines - When they ran out of floor space in the bedroom, she said, “we would place it in the bathtub.” Remember that statement made by government witness Gertrudes Luy? She recalled to the Senate Blue Ribbon committee in a recent hearing how employees of JLN Corp., the firm owned by alleged pork barrel queen Janet Lim-Napoles, how they would stash huge sums of money in their boss’s residence at a posh Bonifacio Global City residential tower.

The elder Luy, mother of chief whistleblower Benhur Luy, earlier also gave affidavits to the National Bureau of Investigation team looking into the P10-billion pork barrel scam.

While an earlier video posted by Napoles' daughter Jeane showing off her luxurious surroundings and possessions had already enraged social media weeks before her mother surrendered and was charged, the statement given at the Senate hearing about "bathtubs filled with cash" alone was enough to make people’s imagination run wild.

Apparently, even veterans in the news business were so obsessed with the imagery that even two international websites uploaded a photo of a woman bathing in money. The woman was identified as the controversial young socialite Jeane Lim-Napoles.

U.S.-based online news aggregator Huffington Post, and Australia-based
news website news.com.au ran the story about the young Napoles, but the girl in the photo was not Jeane at all.

The whereabouts of the young woman remain unclear, even though a luxury apartment in LA in her name was placed on the market over a week ago. Last week, the Bureau of Internal Revenue weighed in and filed a case accusing her of evading taxes.

source: interaksyon.com

Napoles Ritz Carlton condo in LA put on market; It can be yours for $1.4 million

A Los Angeles property under the name of the daughter of businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles has been posted for sale on at least three US-based real-estate websites.

Napoles' Ritz Carlton condo, officially under the name of her daughter, Jeane, is on the market for $1.4 million.

Ads for its sale were posted earlier this week.

The unit, with address at "The Ritz Carlton at LA Live unit no: #37i, 900 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90015" is being offered at $1,475,000. Interested buyers must also factor in $1,639 monthly homeowners' association dues.

The unit is the same property that was exposed by media reports in July, a centerpiece in what was made to illustrate the Napoles' high-living, in the face of a scandal that also placed them atop a P10-billion pork barrel scam.

The unit for sale has two bedrooms, two baths, and a parking space. It is listed at 1,579 square feet, or around 146 square meters.

"The first showings of this unit are slated to begin on Friday, September 27th," the website DLXco.com  said in its post.

The ad describes the building and unit thus:

"The Residences at LA Live have far surpassed its competitors and proven to be one of the most successful and desirable properties in Los Angeles. With little inventory available, this prime floor plan is the best deal in the building and will go quickly. It has eastern views of Staples Center, downtown and the Ritz Carlton Pool and has the much desired white high gloss Snaidero Kitchen Cabinetry, oak floors in the living/dining area and a huge master suite that is usually only seen in the much larger floor plans. some of the resident amenities include full complimentary breakfast every day in the sky lounge, Ritz Carlton Spa access, wine room, billiard room and much more."

source: interaksyon.com

Security plans all set for Napoles arraignment on Monday - PNP

MANILA - Security measures are adequate in the high-risk mission of transporting to and from Fort Sto. Domingo in Laguna the alleged “pork-barrel queen,” Janet Lim-Napoles, for her arraignment Monday in a Makati City court, the Philippine National Police said on Sunday.

Napoles' arraignment on serious illegal detention charges filed by pork barrel scam whistleblower Benhur Luy will proceed after the Makati court threw out Napoles' motion to defer arraignment pending action on her petition for certiorari at the Court of Appeals.

Superintendent Wilben Mayor, PNP spokesman, said Sunday: “Units of the SAF (Special Action Force) in coordination [with] and support from NCRPO (National Capital Regional Police Office), HPG (Highway Patrol Group) and PRO4A (Police Regional Office 4-A) are tasked to provide security.”

Napoles, currently detained at a bungalow at the anti-terrorism police training camp in Fort Sto. Domingo in Sta. Rosa City, will be transported to the sala of Judge Elmo Alameda at Branch 150 of the Makati RTC, where she will be arraigned at 1:30 p.m. Monday. She will return to Laguna after that.

Benhur Luy, Napoles’ cousin and former bookkeeper of her transactions in the P10-billion pork-barrel scam, had accused the businesswoman of illegally detaining him for nearly four months starting December 2012 after she began suspecting he was setting up his own racket.

Funds sourced from lawmakers’ Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) allocations were allegedly funneled into Napoles’ fake nongovernment organizations. According to Luy, 50 percent of the allocation for a project was pocketed by some lawmakers as their “commission” from Napoles.

Senators Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. and Jinggoy Estrada, Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile, some incumbent and former congressmen, incumbent and former government officials, and private individuals were charged last week with plunder and malversation of public funds by the Department of Justice at the Office of the Ombudsman.

Mayor did not give details on the route and time of Napoles's transport to , on ly saying the convoy must be at Alameda's sala in time for the 1:30 p.m. start of court proceedings.

Earlier, Senior Supt. Reuben Theodore Sindac, head of the PNP’s Public Information Office, said: “All security operations for this will be spearheaded by the PNP-SAF. Suffice it to say, all other information are sensitive operational data. Hence, they are classified. The SAF is testing all sorts of combinations based on all possible scenarios earlier discussed in yesterday’s (Friday’s) meeting.”

source: interaksyon.com