Napoles eyes raps vs Sandiganbayan judges in ‘haphazard’ ruling

Janet Lim-Napoles. FIle photo

MANILA, Philippines — The legal team of alleged pork barrel queen Janet Lim Napoles on Saturday said they are eyeing to file complaints against Sandiganbayan justices, who “hurriedly” convicted their client for graft and malversation of public funds.

According to Napoles’ lawyer, Attorney Rony Garay, they took the issue with the use of “inadmissible evidence” that violated the Anti-Cyber Crime law in the anti-graft court’s ruling, which also convicted former Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Constantino Jaraula and several former government employees over the graft and malversation of P28-million public funds.

“The original decision which they later amended had been clearly hurried and handed down haphazardly and without a sober consideration of the pending motions of Ms. Napoles,” Garay said in a statement.

Garay had previously filed the motion to reopen trial and suppress evidence which stemmed from the testimonies of whistleblowers Merlina Suñas and Marina Sula, who said the whistle-blower Benhur Luy was allegedly lying in all testimonies.

Suñas and Sula also accused Luy of “coaching them to lie before the magistrates of the different divisions of the Sandiganbayan.”

Napoles’ camp also said it will prepare the charges against the judges over “gross ignorance of the law, manifest partiality and extreme bias.”

In a 103-page decision, Sandiganbayan’s First Division found Napoles and former government employees guilty of three counts of graft and three counts of malversation.

JPV

RELATED STORY: Jaraula’s trial over fertilizer fund scam to proceed