Jeane Napoles left but returned to PHL to face raps —lawyer

Janet Lim Napoles' daughter, Jeane Catherine Napoles, has already returned to the Philippines to face the pending criminal case she is facing in the country, her lawyer confirmed Saturday.

In a statement, Jeane's legal counsel, Ian Encarnacion, confirmed that his client indeed left the country but has just returned on Friday, August 3, the same day news of her departure came out in the media.

Encarnacion said Jeane arrived in the country at 3:35 a.m. "I personally fetched her at the [Ninoy Aquino International Airport]," the lawyer said.

On Friday, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, citing Immigration records, said Jeane left the country on July 27, five days before her US indictment was announced. Her destination is, at the moment, unknown.

Encarnacion assured the public his client was ready to face the cases lodged not only in the Philippines but also those in the US for money laundering by supposedly funneling some $20 million in Philippine public funds in and out of the US through a “multi-year bribery and fraud scheme.”

"She is here in the Philippines and she will face all the cases against her, both here and abroad.  We maintain our client's innocence and we look forward to having these cases dismissed," Encarnacion said.

Jeane is facing a case for graft in connection with the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam.

Jeane earlier faced a P17.5-million tax evasion case filed against her by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) for the pieces of properties in the United States and Philippines under her name. 

Due to her non-payment, her liability has ballooned to P32 million, inclusive of interest. The case was dismissed last year.

On Wednesday, the US Department of Justice said Jeane, her sister Jo Christine, their mother, Jo Christine's husband James Christopher; Janet's brother Reynald Luy Lim, and his wife Ana Marie, have been charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, domestic money laundering, and international money laundering.

The jury found that the indicted individuals, as well as around 20 Philippine lawmakers and other government officials, converted to their own benefit millions of dollars in Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) and transmitting approximately $20 million of the amount into the US “to purchase assets, including real property and luxury vehicles,” the Justice department noted in a statement.

Some $20 million of those funds, the statement said, were diverted to Philippine money remitters and then wired to Southern California bank accounts, “where the money was used to purchase real estate, shares in two businesses, two Porsche Boxsters, and finance the living expenses of three family members residing in the United States: Jeane Napoles, Reynald Lim, and Ana Lim.” — MDM, GMA News