Priest testifies for Napoles, tells of Luy’s alleged vices

Janet Lim-Napoles. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—A Catholic priest testified for the defense in Wednesday’s bail petition hearing of Janet Lim-Napoles on the serious illegal detention charges against her and brother Reynald “Jojo” Lim.

Father Peter Edward Lavin said pork barrel scam principal witness Benhur Luy was brought by Lim and Napoles to a retreat house because of “some sort of drug addiction and certain anomalies Luy committed.”

Lavin, who took the witness stand at the Makati Regional trial Court branch 150, said he regularly concelebrated Mass with Monsignor Josefino Ramirez in the office of the Napoles-owned JLN Corporation Inc. at Discovery Suites in Pasig City.

According to the prosecution, Lavin was one of the incorporators of JLN Corp.

The Catholic prelate recalled that prior to Luy’s alleged kidnapping, he and Ramirez were invited by the siblings to honor their mother Magdalena Luy-Lim at her mausoleum in Heritage Park.

“Jojo (Lim) approached me and discussed the problem of Benhur regarding vices and anomalies with a certain loan in a company he used without the company knowing it. He said Luy has to undergo a spiritual retreat and renewal,” Lavin said.

In a direct examination with the Defense lawyer Alfredo Villamor, Lavin said he volunteered his retreat house in Antipolo City to accommodate Luy in his spiritual renewal.

“On December 21, we were waiting for him in Antipolo but he never arrived. The next time I visited Monsi (Ramirez), he told me Benhur decided to stay with them because there were less people in Bahay San Jose,” he said.

The Bahay San Jose retreat house, bearing the address of Lapu-Lapu Street, Magallanes village, Makati City, was allegedly bought by Napoles in 2010.

In some of his visits in the Magallanes retreat house, Lavin said Luy would “peacefully pray in the garden and in the chapel taking down notes from the Bible” during the time Luy claimed he was detained from December 2012 until March this year.

“I saw him walking in front of the swimming pool. He was quite happy while talking to someone over the phone,” he added.

In the previous testimony of Luy, he said Lim, as instructed by his sister, barred Luy from using any means of communication to the outside world unless allowed by Lim.

“Seeing him meditate and walk around in a very peaceful and prayerful manner, I think his (Luy) retreat went fine,” Lavin said.

Luy, the pork barrel scam principal witness, accused Napoles and Lim for serious illegal detention after they allegedly held him captive at a retreat house.

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