Napoles' children, siblings refuse to enter plea in Malampaya scam

The children and siblings of convicted plunderer Janet Lim Napoles all refused to enter a plead at the Sandiganbayan on Thursday over the 194 criminal charges in connection with the P900-million Malampaya fund scam.

Napoles' children, James Christopher and Jo Christine, and her brothers, Reynald and Ronald Lim, did not enter a plea, prompting the Third Division to enter a not guilty plea on their behalf.

The arraignment of Camarines Sur 1st District Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr. was also scheduled on Friday but did not push through due to his pending quashal motion.

The Napoleses and the Lims face 97 counts each of graft and malversation of public funds through falsification of public documents.

The case stemmed from the diversion of funds sourced from the Malampaya natural gas project for relief operations, rehabilitation, and reconstruction of areas affected by Tropical Storm Ondoy and Typhoon Pepeng in 2009.

Then-Budget chief Andaya had authority to release the P900 million through the Department of Agrarian Reform as implementing agency, but the money went to 13 bogus non-government organizations of Napoles instead.

The prosecution said former DAR Secretary Nasser Pangandaman requested the cash allocation even prior to the review of the DBM's budget and without validating its regularity.

Napoles, meanwhile, used her foundations for the implementation of non-existent projects while her relatives and former bodyguard forged signatures and fabricated documents to conceal the fictitious nature of the transaction. — MDM, GMA News