AMLC investigator:  Napoles controlled NGOs used in ‘pork’ scam

A bank investigator with the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) on Thursday cited a report to show that Janet Lim-Napoles had direct control over the non-government organizations (NGOs) where millions in pork barrel funds of several lawmakers allegedly went.

Testifying before the Sandiganbayan First Division, AMLC investigator Leigh Vhon Santos said their inquiry report on the bank transactions of the Napoles-linked NGOs proves that Napoles signed and confirmed withdrawal slips authorizing Benhur Luy and the other whistleblowers to withdraw huge amounts of money from the NGOs’ bank accounts.

“Withdrawal slips were confirmed by Napoles. This is an indication that she has a control over these (NGOs),” Santos said.

Santos further said that during a withdrawal transaction, it is standard operating procedure for the bank officer to call the person authorizing the withdrawal, especially when it involves huge amount of money.

“This means that the bank officer confirmed the transactions with Napoles,” Santos said.

Santos said their report corroborates the testimonies of the pork barrel scam witnesses, Luy, Marina Sula and Merlina Suñas that all the withdrawals were made upon the instruction of Napoles.

He also reiterated that based on the AMLC report, the NGOs served merely as temporary repositories of funds.

“Several days after the deposits are made, they are immediately withdrawn...when projects would usually take time and, ordinarily, withdrawals would be made portion per portion,” Santos said.

“This fact corroborates the testimony that the deposits and withdrawals were made for the funding of Priority Development Assistance Funds commissions,” he added.

Santos said the AMLC also found it unusual that the withdrawals were made in cash considering the huge amounts involved.

“Ordinarily, you don’t withdraw millions of pesos in cash because that is too risky,” he said.
 
He said that aside from the whistleblowers, several employees of Napoles’ JLN Corporation were also authorized by Napoles to make the withdrawals, when they were not even named as officers of the NGOs.

Napoles’ lawyer, Stephen David in several interviews said that other than the testimonies of the whistleblowers, there was no evidence showing Napoles’ direct participation in the pork barrel scam.

David had repeatedly argued that the whistleblowers were the ones who benefitted from the scam as it was through their bank accounts as heads of the NGOs that the PDAF allocations were deposited.

Napoles is facing several counts of plunder and graft in connection with the scam. She is currently detained at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) Female Dormitory in Taguig City. — JDS, GMA News