Napoles: Whistle-blower Luy has another ‘boss’

By: Julliane Love De Jesus - 11 years ago

Janet Napoles at the Inquirer offices. Noy Morcoso lll/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—Businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles has denied any involvement in the alleged P10-billion pork barrel scam and claimed that whistle-blower Benhur Luy was actually the one involved in the scam under another ‘‘boss’’.

Napoles made the claim during a meeting with Inquirer editors, columnists and reporters Thursday night at the Inquirer offices in Makati City.

Luy, who is a cousin and former assistant of Napoles, had earlier linked the businesswoman to the scam, which involved channeling Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), commonly referred to as pork barrel, of some senators and congressmen to fake nongovernment organizations (NGO).

“May boss po siya (Benhur Luy has a boss),” Napoles said. Asked if she knew who this ‘‘boss’’ was, Napoles said yes but declined to give details.

“I know who that person is but I won’t tell until the proper forum,” she said.

Asked why Luy would have another boss when he was already working for Napoles’ company, JLN Corporation with offices at Discovery Suites in Pasig, Napoles said Luy did not work full-time at JLN and likened Luy’s work there as like that of an “alalay”.

“He reports to the office only on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. On Fridays and Saturdays, he goes to his neo-catechism sessions,” she said.

Napoles also disowned Marina Sula, the alleged president of JLN’s dummy NGO, Masaganang Ani para sa Magsasaka Foundation, as her employee.

An Inquirer report named Sula as the one who received the letters signed by the politicians delivered by fashion designer Eddie Baddeo, who supported Luy’s claims.

The report said that at the time, Baddeo was ‘‘financially unstable” and temporarily worked for Napoles and facilitated JLN’s “ghost implementations and deliveries.”

But Napoles said that JLN has links to only one NGO and this was the Magdalena Luy Lim Foundation,which conducts feeding programs in Quiapo.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) are currently looking into the source of wealth of the Napoles family.