Kapunan: ‘Big fish’ coaching witnesses’ lawyer to pin only Napoles in pork scam

Atty. Lorna Kapunan

MANILA, Philippines — Lawyer Lorna Kapunan claimed on Monday that a “big fish” has been coaching her opposing counsel to make it appear that her client, detained businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles, was solely responsible for the alleged P10-billion pork barrel scam.

“You may want to ask Atty. [Levito] Baligod the name of the ‘big fish’ who dictates to him what to do and to pin down the blame solely on Mrs. Napoles,” Kapunan said in a text message.

Kapunan, who has made a sweeping denial of Napoles’ involvement in the pork barrel scam, did not name the big fish.

Baligod replied: “I don’t have any clue or idea about that alleged ‘big fish’ dictating on me. Whoever is the one asking, kindly ask her in return who that big fish is.”

Her former employees at JLN Corp., who turned whistle-blowers, have accused Napoles as the mastermind of the pork barrel scam, saying she was the contact of lawmakers and government executives involved in funneling pork barrel funds to dubious nongovernment organizations (NGO) that she had set up.

Kapunan said it was too soon for the former JLN employees to be classified as whistle-blowers.

“It is the whistle-blowers who should be included as respondents. They are principals by direct participation. Only the Ombudsman or Sandiganbayan can decide who can be state witnesses—not the National Bureau of Investigation or the justice secretary and certainly not attorney Baligod,” she said.

Kapunan was reacting to the plan of Baligod to file an amendment to the P900-million Malampaya Fund scam case filed in the Office of the Ombudsman last week to include Napoles’ children—Jo Christine and James Christopher—for their direct participation in faking documents and for receiving the funds.

“Is Attorney Baligod admitting that he can dictate what he wants to the NBI and the [justice] secretary? The inclusion of additional respondents is not dependent on his whim,” Kapunan said.

The P900 million, which was coursed through the Department of Agrarian Reform, was meant to help farmers recover from the losses they suffered as a result of Tropical Storms “Ondoy” and “Pepeng” in 2009. The money ended up in the 12 Napoles NGOs, and allegedly pocketed by Napoles and government officials.

On Oct. 3, the NBI filed plunder charges in the Office of the Ombudsman against Napoles, former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, former Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, former budget secretary and now Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr., former Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman and 19 others.

Baligod acknowledged that he and the whistle-blowers did not have any say on who should be included in the Malampaya Fund scam case.

“It’s really up to NBI or DOJ (Department of Justice) people who evaluate the evidence we submit. The whistle-blowers and I have no pretensions that we can influence the NBI or DOJ,” he said.

But Baligod pointed out that the whistle-blowers were not included in the charges based “on the Witness Protection Program and the benefit of law.”

Also, his suggestion to include Napoles was based on the affidavit of the whistle-blowers.