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Accounting entries, paper trail prove pork barrel scam — whistleblower's lawyer


Legal counsel of pork barrel scam whistleblower Benhur Luy said Friday a “meter-long printout of accounting entries” and other documents back up various witnesses' testimony they have for “a case to convict” against Janet Lim-Napoles, NGOs and some Members of Congress.
 
“The financial transactions will prove the link between Napoles, the NGOs and the legislators or in the case of Malampaya funds, Napoles and certain officers within the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR),” Baligod said in “Forum on Truth-Telling: THE PORK BARREL SCAM” held at St. Scholastica's College- Manila.
 
“Kung ipi-print mo yung accounting entries ni Benhur siguro mga isang metro from 2003,
daily ang transaction and in the millions,” the lawyer added.
 
Luy is a former employee and distant cousin of Napoles, whom the former accused of diverting pork barrel and other government funds to her account through her dummy NGOs.
 
Napoles' company, JLN Corporation, was alleged to have been tapped in ghost projects of the government allegedly pegged in one report as totalling P10 billion worth of projects, including the fertilizer fund scam, the Malampaya fund scam, and anomalies in the implementation of several PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund)-funded projects.
 
Napoles has yet to be served the warrant of arrest a Makati court issued in the serious illegal detention case filed against her for serious illegal detention of Luy.
 
During the forum, Baligod said, based on evidence and testimony, the senators appear to be more circumspect than congressmen as the former do not receive cash personally.
 
“Merong transaction from the account of the (dummy) foundation direct to the account of the legislator and there are legislators so brazen that they even receive their commissions in check,” he said.
 
He said the legislators receive the money in two tranches, the first half before they select the NGO and the second half when there is already a notice of cash allocation (NCA) from the Department of Budget and Management.
 
“So yun ang mga paper trails natin, financial transactions bank to bank and testimonials na itong employees na ito were present when legislators receive the money,” he added.
 
Baligod said the Anti-Money Laundering Council is now undertaking a bank verification on the transactions based on the affidavit of the whistleblowers.
 
“They have six months to verify all these transactions, marami po kasi e,” he said.
 
He also said that they have documents showing a strong financial link between the dummy NGOs and Napoles.
 
Merlina Suñas, one of the whistleblowers present during the forum, said once the government agency pays the Napoles' NGO identified by the legislator, the money will be deposited to the account of the NGO then it will be withdrawn to be given to Napoles in cash.
 
“Ide-deposit muna sa savings ng NGO bago ibigay na cash kay Mrs. Napoles,” she said.
 
Gertrudes Luy, mother of Benhur, corroborated with Suñas that cash was delivered to Napoles' house.
 
“In-charge ako sa bahay. Kung may pera na darating itatawag sa akin, ako ang tumatanggap sa bahay, dadalhin sa kwarto. Pero dahil puno na inilalagay na namin sa bathtub,” she said. Mrs Luy worked for Napoles for 21 years.
 
Baligod said sometimes the transfer of money was bank to bank or from the account of the NGO to Napoles' account.
 
The audience at the forum asked Suñas to name the legislators but the latter declined saying it is better to wait for the investigation of the Department of Justice to be finished.
 
Baligod said in the last six months the case is being investigated, members of the National Bureau of Investigation have received warning to go easy on Napoles.
 
“Sa anim na buwan na yun, maraming pulitiko ang nagsabi na 'you go easy on Napoles'. Natutuwa ako na ang NBI at DOJ ay hindi natatakot kung may masasagasaan, tumutupad sila sa pangako na manilbihan sa bayan,” he said.
 
Baligod also said Napoles' lawyer, in two occassions, offered him P5 million for the withdrawal of Benhur and the other whistleblowers' affidavit against the businesswoman.
 
He said during a third meeting, this time with Napoles' daughter Jeane, the latter told him the offer was P40 million. He declined the offer, even advised Jeane to get the best criminal lawyer and even recommended lawyer Sigfrid Fortun. — ELR, GMA News
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