Luy: Two plunder suspects in ‘pork’ case were just used by Napoles

Primary whistleblower Benhur Luy on Thursday said plunder suspects Ronald John Lim and John Raymond de Asis were merely dragged into the Priority Development Assistance Fund scam by virtue of their being employees of businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles, the alleged mastermind of the scheme.

 

"Ang alam ko na utusan lang din sila, driver lang yun," he added.

Lim is Napoles' nephew, while De Asis served as her driver. Both were employees of the JLN Corporation, and have been charged with plunder and graft. Both are still currently at large. 

 

Luy, who first exposed the scam that saw lawmakers' pork barrel funds diverted to bogus non-government organizations, is Napoles' cousin and long time employee.

 

Luy is also a prosecution witness in the bail hearings of Napoles and others accused of plunder in the Sandiganbayan First Division, including Senator Ramon Bong Revilla Jr., and his senior staff, Atty. Richard Cambe.

 

Revilla and his co-accused are facing plunder and graft charges in connection with the pork barrel scam. Both Revilla and Cambe are detained at the PNP Custodial Center in Camp Crame. Meanwhile, Napoles is detained at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig.

Forging of signatures

 

In his testimony during the bail hearing, Luy narrated how Lim and De Asis assisted him and other whistleblowers in forging signatures of fake beneficiaries of the bogus NGOs.

 

"Pumipirma din sila, naaawa sila sa amin, kaliwa't kanang kamay na yung gamit namin pag pirma, para pangit, kasi nga kunwari farmers yung pumirma. Minsan nga sinasabi ni madam [Napoles] na mag thumbmark-thumbmark na lang," Luy said.

 

However, Luy stopped short of saying that De Asis and Lim should not be charged of plunder.

 

"Di naman ako yung makakapagsabi kung sino yung dapat kasuhan, kasi yung Ombudsman or yung NBI naman ang makakapagsabi nun," he said.

 

For his part, Atty. Stephen David, Napoles' lawyer who also represents Lim and De Asis, moved that Luy's testimony be admitted to exonerate his two other clients.

 

The court then instructed David to file the necessary motion to adopt such testimony.

 

Meanwhile, in a chance interview following the hearing, David clarified that while he wants Luy's testimony on Lim and De Asis adopted, he still has reservations on what Luy says.

 

"Sabi lang naman yun ni Benhur, di naman ibig sabihin totoo yun. Pero dahil sinabi niyang di naman pala kasabwat si De Asis at Lim, we will adopt that," he said. — RSJ, GMA News