Ex-lawmaker’s plea in pork barrel case junked

Former Oriental Mindoro Rep. Rodolfo G. Valencia. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

The Sandiganbayan has thrown out yet another plea by former Oriental Mindoro Rep. Rodolfo Valencia seeking the reconsideration of his earlier pleading that sought to block prosecution evidence on his graft and malversation cases involving the alleged fraudulent transfer of millions from his Priority Development Assistance (PDAF).

In a three-page resolution, the Sandiganbayan’s Seventh Division said that Valencia’s motion for reconsideration dated March 20 contained arguments that the court considered as “mere rehash” of his arguments during the preliminary investigation.

Valencia is facing three counts each of graft and malversation of public funds where he allegedly conspired with officials from the Technology and Livelihood Resource Center and the Department of Budget and Management in the alleged fraudulent transfer of P7 million from his PDAF or pork barrel allocations to a bogus private foundation linked to businesswoman Janet Napoles.

Napoles is a coaccused of this case. —Dempsey Reyes

READ: Ex-Oriental Mindoro solon pleads not guilty to pork barrel raps