BI confirms Jeane Catherine Napoles is in PH

Jeane Napoles. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has confirmed that Jeane Catherine Napoles, daughter of alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles, is in the country.

“Jeane Catherine Napoles is in the Philippines based on travel records. She was allowed entry because there was no legal basis to prevent her entry into country,” said BI spokesperson Elaine Tan said.

Napoles has been in the country since September last year. No record showed that she has left the country since then.

Jeane was a subject of public scrutiny when videos depicting her lavish lifestyle circulated over the Internet. She is now facing tax evasion charges pending in the Court of Tax Appeals.

On Friday, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima also issued an immigration lookout bulletin against her following the filing of tax evasion case in court.

“The lookout bulletin only serves as a directive to immigration officers to coordinate with the concerned agencies (Department of Justice, National Bureau of Investigation, National Prosecution Service) to verify the status of the case against a subject/passenger. The decision on whether to allow or deny travel of the passenger shall be based on the recommendation of the appropriate agency,” Tan said.