De Lima hints at clearing Tesda chief Villanueva
Tesda Director Joel Villanueva INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—Justice Secretary Leila De Lima on Monday hinted at clearing Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) Director General Joel Villanueva of involvement in the pork barrel scam.
Talking to reporters, De Lima said most of the documents showing that Villanueva misused his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) during his stint as a lawmaker were forged.
“Most of the documents examined [by the National Bureau of Investigation bearing the signature of Joel Villanueva] are forged. These documents are not written by the same hand…not by one hand,” she said.
Villanueva’s name was reportedly included as among those who will be criminally charged before the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with the pork barrel scam.
De Lima said the NBI is still in the process of evaluating the evidence against those to be slapped with a complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman.
“We want to be sure that the case that we will file is strong. Evaluation of evidence continuous,” she said.
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