Senate should check CCTV tapes for Ruby Tuason – lawyer

Ruby Tuason with Janet Lim Napoles 2009. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – Checking closed circuit television (CCTV) footages for visits by a former aide of ex-President Joseph Estrada turned state witness could help bolster the case against the alleged mastermind of the pork barrel scam and accused lawmakers, a lawyer said Tuesday.

Levito Baligod, counsel for Benhur Luy and other whistleblowers in the pork barrel scam, told Inquirer Radio 990AM, that the senators could present footages showing Ruby Tuason in the Senate to check if they would match her testimony.

He said the footages from 2007, when Tuason worked with Janet Lim-Napoles and the lawmakers, should still be available since the Senate supposedly stores its recordings for the last 10 years.

Tuason, who is supposed to be the conduit of Senators Juan Ponce Enrile and Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, is set to appear in the next blue ribbon committee hearing.

Upon her arrival in the country last Friday, Tuason issued an affidavit detailing how she delivered kickbacks from Napoles to the offices of the senators, among other places.

Baligod said Tuason’s testimony, if proven true, would corroborate the statements of Benhur Luy and other whistleblowers, who also worked for Napoles’ bogus non-government organizations (NGO).

“Nagtutugma po sila sa material points. Una, nagkaroon ng agreement kung magkano ang share ng bawat isa kapag naibigay ng legislator ang kanyang PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund). Pangalawa, nagkaroon talaga ng delivery ng kickback,” he said.

(Their testimonies match on a couple of material points. First, there was an agreement on the amount of share each one of them will receive from a legislator’s PDAF. Second, the kickbacks were really sent to and received by the lawmakers.)

He said Tuason’s willingness to return the money she received from the illegal scheme was also a sign of her sincerity.

However, Baligod said he was not sure if Tuason’s testimony was indeed a “slam dunk.”

“Kailangan nating i-qualify ang statement na iyan dahil sa akin slam dunk evidence yung testimonya ni Ginang Tuason kung patungkol ito sa PDAF ng mga legislator na kanyang naging ka-transaksyon. Pero kung sa ibang legislators hindi natin sya magagamit for obvious reasons dahil wala syang personal knowledge,” he said.

(We need qualify that statement because for me Mrs. Tuason’s testimony would be a slam dunk evidence pertaining only to the PDAF of legislators she transacted with. But for the other accused lawmakers, we cannot use her affidavit for obvious reasons because she has no personal knowledge.)

Baligod also pointed out that Tuason also denied involvement in the misuse of the Malampaya funds.

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