Napoles trying to sell off two properties in Makati – source

Alleged pork barrel fund scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles is selling two of her properties in Makati City not covered by the asset preservation order (APO) issued by the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC), a source told GMA News.

In an exclusive interview on GMA News TV's “State of the Nation (SONA)” aired Thursday evening, a source, who refused to be identified for security reasons, said Napoles' house and lot in Narra Street in Forbes Park as well as her house and lot at 52 Lapu-lapu street in Magallanes Village have been for sale as early as last year when the pork barrel fund scam hit the headlines.



“Matagal na po yun binebenta simula nung lumabas yung scam, kaso ang nagiging problema dun, pag nalalaman nila na may koneksyon kay Napoles, umaayaw din yung mga tumitingin,” the source, who lives in Forbes Park, said.

“Hanggang ngayon open pa rin sa buyer, marami pa rin tumitingin diyan,” the source added.

According to the SONA report, the property in Forbes Park is being sold at P450 million while the property in Magallanes Village is being sold at P50 million.

It is in her house in Magallanes Village where Napoles allegedly detained her nephew, pork scam primary whistleblower Benhur Luy, for several weeks.

According to Luy and the other whistleblowers, both properties are registered under Napoles' La Roca Enterprises Inc.

The whistleblowers had earlier identified La Roca as one of the five companies established by Napoles using money from the pork scam.

The other companies they identified were JCLN Global Properties and Development Corporation, JLN Corporation, JCLN Real Estate Development Consortium Inc., and RLG Solutions.

The whistleblowers said that through the pork scam, Napoles was able to buy 62 properties under the names of these five corporations.

Lawyer Lourdes Benipayo, counsel for some of the whistleblowers, said that since last year, they have already requested the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to revoke the registration of Napoles' corporations as these were allegedly established through fraudulent means. The SEC has yet to reply on the whistleblowers' petition.

Currently, only the properties and local bank accounts under the names of Napoles, her husband Jaime, their children James Christopher, Jo Christine, Jeane Catherine and John Christian, and her brother Reynald Lim were placed by Manila RTC under the APO.

The whistleblowers, however, said that Napoles still has properties and bank accounts in the United States as well as several assets under her corporations.

“Wala pa silang success, pero kung talagang gusto nilang mabenta iyan (Napoles' Makati properties), may paraan talaga,” Benipayo said.

Napoles' lawyer Bruce Rivera meanwhile denied that Napoles' properties in Makati are being sold.

“Mahirap gawin yun at this point in time, kasi, una,kung nasa pangalan ni Mrs. Napoles yun, well, malalaman ng tao at sino mang bibili nun ay matatakot. It's unfair, kasi po ilang beses na namin dineny yan, dahil wala naman talagang ganyang sitwasyon,” he said. — Elizabeth Marcelo/JDS, GMA News