Napoles also ventured into Agri dept funds – whistleblower Benhur Luy

Janet Lim-Napoles, alleged mastermind of the P10-billion pork barrel funds cam, also transacted with the Department of Agriculture (DA) to get a share of the agency's funds, principal scam whistleblower Benhur Luy told a Senate probe on Thursday.

 

During the inquiry, Senator Aquilino Pimentel III asked the scam whistleblowers if they know a certain John Lim, whom the lawmaker said signed last year a memorandum of agreement with the DA saying that he chose a Napoles-linked non-government organization as beneficiary for the agency's Organic Fund.

 

Marina Sula, one of Napoles's former employees, told Pimentel that John Lim is a nephew of the controversial businesswoman.

 

Pimentel said his office was never informed of any transactions for the release of funds from the DA.

 

"I knew about this only last night... If my attention wasn't called to this, I wouldn't even know," the senator said.

 

Pimentel added that he thinks something "fishy" also happened with the DA's funds.

 

"I am not saying this is already a scam but the mere fact that a personality connected with the Napoles group has a signature and the manner that it was done, something is terribly wrong," the senator said.

 

Luy, for his part, confirmed that Napoles had a hand in irregularities in DA fund releases, which in this case involved P10 million.

 

"Chinarge po talaga iyan sa Organic Fund. Ang nangyari ho iyan, si Ms. Napoles, may kausap talaga," the whistleblower said.

 

He added that the memorandum of agreement that used Pimentel's name was prepared right inside the office of Agriculture Undersecretary Antonio Fleta.

 

Due to this, Pimentel said he will file a resolution asking the Senate blue ribbon committee to conduct a probe on the alleged misuse of funds beyond the pork barrel funds.  — ELR, GMA News