Napoles employee: Ruby Tuason, Labayen collected Jinggoy’s pork kickbacks
A FORMER employee of Janet Lim-Napoles said she has seen the alleged agents of senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada collect his purported kickbacks from the pork barrel scam.
During Estrada’s bail hearing for plunder on Monday, Marina Sula said she saw socialite Ruby Tuason talked with Napoles, the accused architect of the scam, in her JLN Corp. office at Discovery Center, in Ortigas, Pasig.
She said Tuason, who has admitted delivering kickbacks to Estrada in his Senate office, brought letters signed by Estrada endorsing Napoles’ dummy foundations for his pork projects.
Sula said she served drinks to Tuason and overheard Napoles and Tuason talking about Estrada’s kickbacks from the scam.
“Nakikita ko siyang kausap si Madame sa opisina at narinig ko na pine-prepare na ang pera para kay Senator Jinggoy… Nasa loob po ako ng opisina ni Madam Janet Napoles. Mag-se-serve ako ng inumin ni Ruby Tuason,” Sula told the court.
Sula, who was Napoles’ property custodian, also said she was close to Estrada’s deputy chief of staff Pauline Labayen, who reportedly fled her plunder charges for being the alleged bagwoman of Estrada.
She said Labayen went to Napoles’ office also to collect Estrada’s kickbacks. She said Labayen counted the kickbacks with principal whistleblower Benhur Luy.
“Nakikita ko siya sa conference room, nagbibilang ng pera with Benhur Luy,” Sula said.
Sula said in one instance, she jokingly coaxed Labayen to treat them as she received Estrada’s kickbacks, and Labayen supposedly told her the sums of money were for Estrada.
“Para sa akin, close kami ni Pauline Labayen. Nagbibiro sa personal, nayayakap ko siya, at kinekwentuhan niya kami,” Sula said.
“Nung biniro namin kay Pauline na magpalibre naman siya, sinabi niya: ‘Sorry, kay sir ito, eh,'” Sula added.
Estrada’s counsels challenged Sula’s testimony, calling it speculative and hearsay for assuming that the kickbacks were intended for Estrada.
But the division temporarily chaired by Associate Justice Ma. Theresa Gomez-Estoesta let Sula’s testimony remain on record, thumbing down Estrada’s lawyers’ moves to strike out the testimony.
“As to probative value, we still don’t know how relevant this would be so let it remain on record,” Estoesta told the lawyers.
Interviewed after the hearing, Estrada denied Sula’s allegations, saying he has never met her.
Estrada is detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center as he faces trial for plunder and graft charges over the pork barrel scam allegedly masterminded by Napoles.
Napoles is serving a separate life sentence for the serious illegal detention of pork scam principal whistleblower Benhur Luy.
The hearings on the pork barrel scam have resulted in the detention for plunder of Senators Estrada, Ramon Revilla Jr. and Juan Ponce Enrile, as well as former representatives Rizalina Seachon Lanete and Edgar Valdez. AC
