SC denies Napoles’ bid for bail in Enrile’s plunder case

The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday denied businesswoman Janet Napoles' bid for bail in the plunder case involving former Senator Juan Ponce Enrile, in connection with the multi-billion-peso pork barrel scam. 

At a press conference, SC spokesperson Theodore Te said the high court found no grave abuse of discretion on the part of the Sandiganbayan Third Division which junked Napoles' bail petition on October 16, 2015, and her subsequent appeal on March 2, 2016.

In her petition, Napoles argued that she should be allowed to post bail saying the Office of the Ombudsman failed to provide strong evidence that she conspired with her co-accused in committing plunder and prove that she amassed, accumulated and acquired ill-gotten wealth worth at least P50 million.

Napoles is a co-accused of Enrile in the plunder case stemming from allegations that the former senator amassed P172.8 million from his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) allocations from 2004 to 2010 by channeling these to the businesswoman's bogus foundations.

Opposing Napoles' bid, Ombudsman prosecutors said the issues Napoles raised were "questions of facts" requiring review of evidence, which is not a function of the SC.

"It is not the function of the Court to examine, review or evaluate the evidence all over again. It leaves these matters to the lower court, which has more opportunity and facilities to examine the evidence," the prosecutors' comment read.

"[T]he proposed course of action of Napoles is not legally feasible. On this score alone, her petition must fail," they added.

The prosecutors also argued that the Sandiganbayan was correct in denying Napoles' petition for bail, as they were able to establish "proof evident" of her guilt.

Napoles is currently detained at the Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City, to which she was transferred from Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City after she was acquitted last May from the serious illegal detention case involving her former aide and relative Benhur Luy. —NB, GMA News