Several relatives of Filipino businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles, who allegedly masterminded the multi-billion pork barrel scam, are also involved in the alleged looting of the Malampaya Fund.
The Malampaya Fund was originally intended to help victims of massive flooding in Luzon brought about by tropical storms Ondoy and Pepeng in 2009 through the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).
Napoles also allegedly masterminded the looting of the fund using bogus non-government organizations (NGOs) and fake recepients.
Php900-million of the fund was set aside for agrarian reform beneficiaries, but were redirected to Napoles’ 12 dubious NGOs.
Napoles’ brother Reynald Lim and one of her nephews served as presidents of two of those NGOs.
According to Atty. Levito Baligod, lawyer pork barrel scam witnesses Benhur Luy and Merlinda Suñas, said he would file an amendment to plunder charges already filed by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Office of the Ombudsman to include Napoles’ daughter and son, Jo Christine and James Christopher Napoles.
Atty. Baligod said the siblings would join their mother, former president and current Pamganga 2nd District Representative Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, then Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, then Budget Secretary and current Camarines Sur Representative Rolando Andaya, and then Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman in the case.
He said the siblingS will be included for their “direct involvement in the falsification and liquidation of documents” in the Malampaya Fund looting.
Atty. Baligod said retired Marine Major Jaime Napoles would not be charged because evidence and testimony did not show any direct involvement from him in the scams.
He said Maj. Napoles was only seen to be “enjoying the luxuries” of his wife’s dealings.
Luy’s affidavit said Napoles’ youngest child, Jeane Napoles, was just a recipient of Napoles’ dealings while studying in the United States.
Jeane was criticized publicly for her social media posts that showed a “luxurious” lifestyle.
Luy claimed that Janet bought dollars off the black market, and “uses these dollars to pay for taxes or buy properties abroad.”
He said the dollars were used by Jeane and Lim abroad.
(with reports from The Philippine Inquirer)