Benhur Luy admits transacting with Jinggoy’s aide behind Napoles’ back

(Updated 7:14 p.m.) Whistleblower Benhur Luy on Friday admitted that there was a time he had his own transactions regarding the pork barrel scam without the knowledge of Janet Lim Napoles, his former boss who had been tagged as the brains behind the scam.

 

"To be honest, at the time gusto ko pong kumita," Luy told the Sandiganbayan Third Division at the continuation of the hearing of Napoles' bail petition for her plunder case.

 

Napoles is the alleged mastermind of the multi-billion peso pork scam that saw billions of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) allocations for several lawmakers funneled to fake non-government organizations (NGOs) for alleged ghost projects.

The lawmakers allegedly allowed the allocation of their PDAF for the bogus NGOs allegedly owned by Napoles in exchange for "rebates" or kickbacks.

 

In his testimony, Luy said that sometime in 2012, he helped Pauline Labayen, the deputy chief of staff of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, to open a bank account under the name of one of Napoles' alleged NGO, the Peoples Organization for Progress and Development Foundation Inc. (POPDFI).

 

Luy said Labayen intended to use the bank account for her own transactions with several lawmakers regarding their PDAF allocation to the Napoles-linked NGOs. He added that he personally asked Merliña Suñas to prepare some documents that would allow Labayen to open the bank account under the name of POPDFI.

 

Suñas, who is also now serving as whistleblower in the pork barrel scam, used to be the president of POPDFI from 2007 to 2012.

 

"Si Pauline Labayen po ang nag-open ng bank account...Ako lang po ang naging tulay by asking Suñas to help Labayen with the documents," Luy told the court.

Three lawmakers

 

Luy said Labayen requested the opening of the bank account for a P35-million project concerning the PDAF of three lawmakers.

 

But Luy refused to identify the three lawmakers, saying they are now the subject of an ongoing investigation of the Office of the Ombudsman.

 

Luy said Labayen promised him a 2-percent commission amounting to P750,000 for the said project. But Luy said he was given only P150,000.

 

"So may balance pa siya na P600,000?," Third Division member Associate Justice Samuel Martires asked.

 

"Yes, your honor," Luy replied.

 

Luy admitted that Napoles was not aware of the opening of the said bank account as well as the P35-million project.

 

Luy admitted that it was the reason why Napoles got so mad upon learning of the said transactions and eventually ordered his detention on Dec. 19, 2012.

 

"Yes, it caused by detention...She was cursing me, 'P---- a ka! Ikaw ang kamag-anak ko, ikaw pa ang nag traydor sa'kin. Ikulong na yan!'," Luy said, recounting the moment Napoles, who is her second cousin, learned of his own transaction with Labayen.

Luy recounted that Napoles learned of his hidden transaction with Labayen when tshe called for a meeting of her "most-trusted" employees, which included him, Napoles' nephew Ronald John Lim, Evelyn De Leon and Suñas.

Luy said Napoles called for a meeting due to the "backlog" of collections from the lawmakers' PDAF. "During that meeting, hinablot niya po ang aking cellphone at nag scroll down siya," he recounted.

Luy said Napoles was able to read a message from his fortune teller friend named "Flor."

"Nabasa po niya ang text ni Flor. Sabi po kasi ni Flor 'babagsak ang kumpanyang JLN Corporation'," Luy said.

"She (Napoles) was already suspecting that I was having my [own] transactions. She started cursing me, shouting [at] me," he added.

Luy said it was right at that moment that Napoles ordered him to be detained while Suñas was ordered to be sacked from JLN Corporation.

Luy was detained by Napoles for three months. He was rescued by the personnel of the National Bureau of Investigation on March 22, 2013.

He said that after he was rescued, he "prayed for discernment" and eventually decided to be a state witness. At that the time, the NBI was still in the middle of its investigation on the scam.

Luy recounted that after he was rescued by the NBI, he was able to briefly talked wit Labayen over the phone. "She was crying because she thought I was already dead. Sabi ko, 'Friend, I'm sorry. I have already decided to testify'," he said.

Luy said he and Labayen were good friends. "We do not have any grudges towards each other," he said.

"Sinabi ko po sa kanya na madadamay at madadamay siya when I testify... but she just said 'I am happy now that you are alive'. That's the end of our conversation," Luy added.

 

Labayen is the co-accused of Estrada in the plunder and graft cases in connection with the pork barrel scam. She remains at large while Estrada is currently detained at the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center in Camp Crame, Quezon City.

 

Napoles, meanwhile is detained at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong after she was convicted for the illegal detention case filed by Luy. She was sentenced to imprisonment of 40 years. — RSJ/KBK, GMA News