Whistleblower Merlina Suñas INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/RAFFY LERMA
Pork barrel scam whistleblower Merlina Suñas said on Tuesday that she did not personally see former Sen. Bong Revilla accept pork barrel money from pork scam queen Janet Lim-Napoles and her employees.
Suñas made the admission in a hearing at the Sandigabayan First Division as the camp of Revilla has finally started presenting their evidence in his P224.5 million plunder trial.
Asked by defense lawyers if she personally saw Revilla seek and accept money from Napoles or any of her employees, Suñas said: “No.”
In addition, Suñas answered in the negative when asked by the defense panel if she had ever visited Revilla’s office when the latter was a senator.
Despite being a witness for the prosecution, Suñas had been chosen by the Revilla camp to sit in the witness stand and presented her as a “hostile witness.”
The anti-graft court granted the motion of Revilla’s camp to declare Suñas as a “hostile witness” since she had an “adverse interest” against him.
Defense lawyers explained that since the whistleblower was placed under the Witness Protection Program (WPP), her interest was to enjoy immunity from prosecution and testify against Revilla in order to convict the accused.
While the prosecution argued that Suñas had no adverse interest against Revilla, the court rejected their argument, explaining that she was obliged to follow the terms and conditions in the WPP in exchange for non-prosecution.
Estelito Mendoza, lawyer of Revilla, explained that their camp can ask Suñas leading questions since she was declared by the court as a “hostile witness.” /jpv
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