De Lima: Napoles US indictment is ‘welcome news’

Even if it happened in the United States, the indictment of alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles is still “welcome news” for Senator Leila De Lima.

Napoles and five of her family members were recently indicted by the Department of Justice of the United States for reportedly conspiring to channel some $20 million of government funds from the Philippines to the U.S.

“This is welcome news, given the fact that the present Duterte administration has made it a point instead to release plunderers and partner with them instead of prosecuting them,” the detained opposition senator said in a statement Friday.

READ: Napoles, 5 others, indicted for funneling $20M into US from PH

“At least, with the U.S. indictment of Napoles and her family, we can at least rely on justice being done for us in another country while injustice continues to reign in our own,” she said.

De Lima argued it was the government of President Rodrigo Duterte through Solicitor General Jose Calida who had acquitted Napoles for the crime of serious illegal detention.

The detained senator also lamented how Napoles was considered as a state witness in the pork barrel cases now pending in the Sandiganbayan.

“The U.S. indictment of Napoles and family is a clear repudiation of the Duterte government’s efforts through then Justice Secretary Aguirre to rehabilitate Napoles and use her against uncooperative legislators,” she said.

Despite the administration’s alleged “partnership with plunderers,” De Lima said she remains hopeful that “the plundering thieves that Duterte has rescued from ignominy will still face justice.”  /muf