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Emerging from detention, Napoles denies whistleblowers’ allegations
By AMITA LEGASPI, GMA News
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(Updated 12:57 p.m.) Driven under heavy security on Thursday morning to her first Senate pork scam hearing, Janet Lim-Napoles defiantly faced her accusers, all her former employees who blew the whistle on her alleged pork scam operation, and consistently denied their allegations.
Rather than first ask Napoles to tell her story, Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Chair TG Guingona instead told her to react to the whistleblowers' charges. "She's lying," her relative and former employee Benhur Luy would retort after each denial.
Napoles said it is not true that she ordered her employees to create non-government organizations to serve as conduits for lawmakers' pork barrel funds.
Rather than first ask Napoles to tell her story, Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Chair TG Guingona instead told her to react to the whistleblowers' charges. "She's lying," her relative and former employee Benhur Luy would retort after each denial.
Napoles said it is not true that she ordered her employees to create non-government organizations to serve as conduits for lawmakers' pork barrel funds.
Guingona invited whistleblowers Benhur Luy, Gertrudes Luy, Marina Sula, Merlina Suñas, Simonette Briones and Mary Arlene Baltazar to attend the session, presumably to pressure Napoles to tell the truth.
After privately conferring with her Senate-appointed lawyers for about 30 minutes, Napoles initially refused to answer questions regarding her businesses.
"May kaso na po sa BIR [Bureau of Internal Revenue]. Dun na lang sasagutin kung ano 'yung tine-trade namin," came Napoles' reply to Guingona's query about the nature of her corporation JLN's trading business.
Then came her series of denials, saying she did not order the whistleblowers to form non-government organizations to launder ill-gotten wealth sourced from public funds.
"Hindi po totoo," said Napoles.
Guingona then asked Luy about the truthfulness of Napoles' statement.
"Nagsisinungaling po siya. Totoo po (na siya nag-utos)," Luy said.
Suñas confirmed Luy's statement.
Sula said Napoles ordered her to create 20 NGOs plus the foundation named after the latter's mother.
The Magdalena Luy Lim Foundation in the service of Divine Mercy was the only NGO admitted by Napoles.
"Yan totoo dahil outreach namin yan sa Boys Town, Girls Town, Golden Heart, sa kaparian," Napoles said.
She admitted having known Luy, his mother Gertrudes, Sula and Baltazar but denied knowing Suñas.
When asked by Guingona why she was denying the statements of the whistleblowers, Napoles asked if she can get the copies of the affidavits to show to her lawyers.
"Hindi ko alam. Hindi ko alam kung ano ang gusto nila sabihin. Tutal nademanda na nila 'yan sa Ombudsman," she added.
She also denied that the address of the NGOs were in her properties.
"Nagulat ako (na nasa properties ko yan). Me kaso na sa Ombudsman dun ko na lang sasagutin," she said.
"Si Benhur ang nagrerehistro ng mga properties kaya alam niya yung mga address namin," she added.
Napoles also denied the kickbacks being offered and given to lawmakers.
"Nakakaawa yung mga senador na nada-drag ang pangalan dito e hindi naman totoo," she said.
Luy countered Napoles saying since he started working at JLN Corporation in 2002, the businesswoman already had transactions with the government.
"Nakikita ko na sa ledger may nakalagay na mga porsyento doon," he said.
He said the proof of the transactions were seen in bank to bank documents, affidavits with specific account numbers ad endorsement letters.
Asked if she knows that lawmakers mentioned in the affidavit of the whistleblowers, Napoles said she knows that senators because they are public figures but they do not know her.
Amid Napoles' denials, Luy said he will not have the records of the transactions if the trader did not order him to keep it.
"Hindi naman ako magkakaroon ng record kung hindi na-assign sa akin. Hindi ako magkakaroon ng record ng bank accounts kung hindi niya ibinigay sa akin," he said.
No vouchers?
Napoles attended the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing straight from her detention facility in Sta. Rosa, Laguna where she has been jailed for the "serious illegal detention" of Benhur Luy. She is also facing a plunder complaint filed with the Office of the Ombudsman. The BIR has also slapped tax evasion charges against her and her husband, Jaime.
The hearing is ongoing as of posting time, without any new information emanating from Napoles' testimony. — RSJ/KG/HS/LBG, GMA News
Sula said Napoles ordered her to create 20 NGOs plus the foundation named after the latter's mother.
The Magdalena Luy Lim Foundation in the service of Divine Mercy was the only NGO admitted by Napoles.
"Yan totoo dahil outreach namin yan sa Boys Town, Girls Town, Golden Heart, sa kaparian," Napoles said.
She admitted having known Luy, his mother Gertrudes, Sula and Baltazar but denied knowing Suñas.
When asked by Guingona why she was denying the statements of the whistleblowers, Napoles asked if she can get the copies of the affidavits to show to her lawyers.
"Hindi ko alam. Hindi ko alam kung ano ang gusto nila sabihin. Tutal nademanda na nila 'yan sa Ombudsman," she added.
She also denied that the address of the NGOs were in her properties.
"Nagulat ako (na nasa properties ko yan). Me kaso na sa Ombudsman dun ko na lang sasagutin," she said.
"Si Benhur ang nagrerehistro ng mga properties kaya alam niya yung mga address namin," she added.
Napoles also denied the kickbacks being offered and given to lawmakers.
"Nakakaawa yung mga senador na nada-drag ang pangalan dito e hindi naman totoo," she said.
Luy countered Napoles saying since he started working at JLN Corporation in 2002, the businesswoman already had transactions with the government.
"Nakikita ko na sa ledger may nakalagay na mga porsyento doon," he said.
He said the proof of the transactions were seen in bank to bank documents, affidavits with specific account numbers ad endorsement letters.
Asked if she knows that lawmakers mentioned in the affidavit of the whistleblowers, Napoles said she knows that senators because they are public figures but they do not know her.
Amid Napoles' denials, Luy said he will not have the records of the transactions if the trader did not order him to keep it.
"Hindi naman ako magkakaroon ng record kung hindi na-assign sa akin. Hindi ako magkakaroon ng record ng bank accounts kung hindi niya ibinigay sa akin," he said.
No vouchers?
Napoles also denied issuing vouchers to lawmakers and their representatives during their supposed transactions.
"Sa tingin niyo kung may ganoong kickback, do you think isang mambabatas at chief of staff ay pipirma ng voucher? Wala pong ganyang voucher at bigayan ng pera," Napoles said.
But both Luy and Suñas insisted there were vouchers, but that they had already been shredded supposedly upon Napoles' orders.
"Ako nagfa-file ng vouchers mula pa ng ako ay magtrabaho kay Napoles hanggang nitong Aug 2013, pero itong January 2013, pina-shred niya sa Pacific Plaza," Suñas said, adding that Napoles even had to purchase a "heavy duty" shredder due to the volume of documents that had to be shredded.
For her part, another JLN employee, Arlene Baltazar, said: "Sabi niya, kailangan i-shred lahat ng evidence para in case magka-search warrant wala po makikita na [kunektado sa] NGO at sa legislators."
Luy also claimed seeing lawmakers or their chiefs of staff visit their office at the Discovery Suites. He also claimed personally delivering money to the government officials.
"Nakikita ko lawmakers at sinasabi sa akin ni madame [Napoles]. May pagkakataon [din] na inuutusan ako ni madame at ihahatid ko po sa bahay," Luy said.
Luy also read out his sworn statement detailing the PDAF allocations of lawmakers and how they are divided among them, based on financial records of Napoles' firm.
In response, Napoles insisted Luy was not her chief financial officer at JLN Corp, but merely an employee for administration.
"Lagi siyang may religious ... kaya bihira siya sa office. Siya may gawa niyan kaya hindi ko alam," Napoles said.
Napoles also denied Luy's claim that she would buy dollars in the black market which would then be deposited to her bank accounts in the US through telegraph.
Suñas also alleged that Napoles would also join them in forging signatures for supposed beneficiaries of the PDAF. Napoles likewise denied this accusation.
Napoles attended the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing straight from her detention facility in Sta. Rosa, Laguna where she has been jailed for the "serious illegal detention" of Benhur Luy. She is also facing a plunder complaint filed with the Office of the Ombudsman. The BIR has also slapped tax evasion charges against her and her husband, Jaime.
The hearing is ongoing as of posting time, without any new information emanating from Napoles' testimony. — RSJ/KG/HS/LBG, GMA News
Livestream: Napoles at Senate pork scam hearing (Nov. 7, 2013)
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