Graft case vs Napoles worker dropped after Ombudsman admits mistake
MYLA Ogerio can breathe a sigh of relief after the Ombudsman admitted its mistake of dragging her into the pork barrel scam.
The Sandiganbayan dropped the graft charges against Ogerio, supposed employee of Janet Lim-Napoles, after Ombudsman prosecutors admitted that they erred in charging her for her involvement in the alleged scam.
In a resolution, the antigraft court First Division granted the prosecution’s motion to drop Ogerio from 16 counts of graft after a reinvestigation found out that Ogerio had no hand in the alleged scam involving the pork barrel funds of Senator Ramon Revilla Jr.
The prosecution said Ogerio is not an employee in any corporation linked to accused mastermind Napoles.
The panel said this is consistent with the witnesses’ statements that Ogerio’s name was merely used as incorporator of a bogus Napoles foundation Agri and Economic Program for Farmers Foundation Inc., which received millions of lawmakers’ Priority Development Assistance Funds (PDAF) only to be spent in ghost projects for kickbacks.
“The Special Panel of Investigators resolved to set aside its finding … which found probable cause against Ogerio, taking into account Ogerio’s claim that she was never an employee of any JLN Corporation and had not participated in the questioned transactions, which claim was supported by the assertion of the complaining witnesses in their affidavits that they only used Ogerio’s name without her knowledge or consent,” the resolution read.
The court thus ordered to return her bail bond and lift the hold departure order against her.
“Accused Ogerio is hereby dropped from the Information, and these cases are dismissed in so far as she is concerned. The bond posted by the said accused may now be withdrawn,” the court said.
The resolution was penned by chairman Associate Justice Efren Dela Cruz, and members Associate Justice Rodolfo Ponferrada and Rafael Lagos.
But Ogerio’s ordeal is far from over, since she still faces graft charges before the antigraft court Third Division, this time involving the PDAF of Senator Juan Ponce Enrile.
The hearings over the pork barrel scam have resulted in the detention for plunder of Senators Jinggoy Estrada, Ramon Revilla Jr. and Juan Ponce Enrile, as well as former representatives Rizalina Seachon Lanete and Edgar Valdez.
Meanwhile, accused Napoles is serving a separate life sentence for the serious illegal detention of principal whistleblower Benhur Luy.
