Grace Poe ‘saddened’ by Napoles being granted bail
Accused pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/RAFFY LERMA
Senator Grace Poe said she was saddened that the Sandiganbayan has allowed Janet Napoles to post bail, saying that the evidence against her was strong based on the Senate’s own investigation on the pork barrel scam.
Napoles, the alleged pork barrel scam mastermind, is facing plunder charges in connection with the alleged misused of lawmakers’ pork barrel funds.
Read: Napoles, ex-Rep. Valdez granted bail from plunder over pork barrel scam
“Ako talaga ay nalulungkot, at bagama’t hindi dapat makialam ang lehislatura at ang pangulo kung saka-sakali sa desisyon ng korte, bilang isang mambabatas, inimbestigahan namin ang PDAF at sa tingin ko, malakas ang ebidensiya laban sa kanya,” Poe said in an interview in Makati on Wednesday.
“Kaya mali. Para sa akin, hindi dapat sana. Kung plunder ‘yan, bakit nagkaroon ng pagkakataon magpiyansa? Iyon ang sa tingin ko ang problema.
“Pero hindi pa naman tapos ang laban kasi kung nabanggit nga ninyo, iba’t iba naman ang kaso niya e. Maaaring meron siyang pangpiyansa dito sa dalawa o sa tatlo, pero may natitira pang ilan, kaya hindi rin naman siya makakalabas,” she added.
While she was allowed to post bail on plunder, Malacañang pointed out that Napoles could not be released from detention because she was convicted by the Makati Regional Trial Court for serious illegal detention in April 2015.
Read: Palace clarifies: Napoles to stay in jail, convicted in earlier case
Poe underscored the need to review the justice system in the country.
“Kung hindi natin iimplementa ang batas na patas, magiging maling ehemplo ito at mas lalakas ang loob ng mga tiwali na ulit-ulitin ‘yang mga kasalanan na ‘yan,” she said.
“Ang sabi ko nga, kapag ikaw ay mahirap, ikaw ba ay papayagan na magpiyansa? Kung ikaw ay mahirap, ikaw ba ay papayagan na manatili sa isang komportableng lugar kapag ikaw ay nakakulong? Iyon ang mga dapat natin talagang tingnan sa ating sistema ng hustisya,” she added. JE
