Benhur Luy. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—Pork barrel scam whistle-blower Benhur K. Luy appeared Wednesday before the Manila Prosecutor’s Office to face the perjury raps filed by the camp of Janet Lim-Napoles.
Escorted by armed agents of the Department of Justice (DOJ)’s Witness Protection Program (WPP), Luy, distant cousin and former employee of Napoles, arrived at the prosecutor’s office wearing a bulletproof vest to submit a counter affidavit along with other witnesses.
Among the accused were Luy’s parents Arturo and Gertrudes, and siblings Arthur and Anabelle, and Merlina Sunas, whom Napoles allegedly designated as one of the presidents of her alleged many fake nongovernment organization (NGOs).
Handling the perjury cases filed by Napoles, the alleged mastermind behind the P10 billion pork barrel scam, is Manila Assistant City Prosecutor Philger Noel Inovejas.
The fiscal, however, waived the right of Arturo and Anabelle Luy to submit a counter affidavit for failure to show up.
Inovejas ordered the lawyers representing Napoles to submit a reply affidavit to support her perjury complaints.
The first hearing was set on August 28 but was moved to September 4 due to Luy et. al’s failure to attend the preliminary investigation. The second hearing will follow on September 13.
Then perjury case stemmed from the Luys and Sunas’ claims that Napoles allegedly kidnapped Benhur Luy and used bogus NGOs as conduits to channel Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), official name of pork barrel, of lawmakers through ghost livelihood projects.
Napoles was detained at Fort Santo Domingo in Santa Rosa, Laguna pending the case of serious illegal detention committed on Luy.
Related Story:
Janet Napoles and the pork barrel scam