Ex-solon’s lawyer notes discrepancies in Napoles’ disbursement reports

The counsel of former Cagayan de Oro Rep. Constantino Jaraula on Tuesday noted several discrepancies as regards the disbursement reports which the JLN Corporation accomplished in 2007.

This, as the Sandiganbayan First Division resumed the trial of Jaraula's cases in connection with his supposed involvement in the alleged pork barrel scam.

Jaraula is facing three counts each of malversation, graft and direct bribery. The charges stemmed from his alleged misuse of P50.5 million worth of his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) from 2004 to 2007.

Based on the information of the cases filed by the Office of the Ombudsman in February last year, Jaraula funneled his PDAF to fake foundations allegedly owned by Janet Lim Napoles, the alleged  in exchange for P20.8 million-worth of commissions.

In Tuesday's hearing, the court continued its cross examination on whistleblower Benhur Luy, a former employee of Napoles.

Jaraula's lawyer Stephen Jaromay questioned Luy on his knowledge on the Daily Disbursement Reports (DDR), which contained the day-to-day financial transactions of Napoles.

Luy said he prepared the DDRs from 2004 to 2012, being then the finance officer of JLN Corporation.

During the hearing, Luy was asked to review some copies of the DDRs from 2007.

But as Luy reviewed the said documents, Jaromay noted that a copy of a DDR for a particular date showed several discrepancies when compared to another copy of the same DDR for the same date.

The said discrepancies were found in the amounts stated in the DDRs for several dates in January and December 2007.

Jaromay suggested that the inconsistencies in the documents show that DDRs may have had "double entries, inaccurate and probably false entries."

Aside from being her former employee, Luy was also Napole's second cousin.

In April 2015, the Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 150 sentenced Napoles to reclusion perpetua, or 20 years and one day up to 40 years in jail, after she was found guilty of serious illegal detention against Luy.

Luy, who was rescued in March 2013, was allegedly detained after Napoles found out that he secured a P5.5-million loan using her name and without her authorization.

Napoles has also accused Luy of stealing P300,000 that he was supposed to deposit to her account.

In June 2013, the DOJ to decided to dismiss the illegal detention charges against Napoles, saying the it was misled in ordering the "rescue" of Luy.

But the National Bureau of Investigation moved for the reversal of the decision, resulting in her arrest.

Napoles is currently detained at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City. — RSJ, GMA News