Ruby Tuason. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO
Manila, Philippines — The government will have to continue to probe accused-turned-whistleblower Ruby Tuason before accepting her into the Witness Protection Program (WPP) following reports of her 80 or so bank accounts, Malacañang said Wednesday.
“Tungkulin ng DOJ ang patuloy na alamin ang kanyang pagiging karapat-dapat na mapasama sa WPP sa harap ng kongkretong katibayan,” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma said in a text message to media.
(It is the task of the Department of Justice to continue to check if she deserves to be included in the WPP in the face of concrete evidence.)
The statement came after media reported that Tuason, the former middleman of Senator Jinggoy Estrada, and alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles had at least 80 bank accounts under her name in the Philippines and abroad.
Tuason, together with several lawmakers and their staff, was charged with plunder for her involvement in the pork barrel scam case. She was able to flee the country but returned last month as a provisional state witness.
However, reports said she again left the country on March 2, supposedly to arrange how she will return to the government the P40 million she received as commission from Napoles.
Justice Secretary Leila De Lima declined to confirm the report, saying the Bureau of Immigration should not make such announcements because Tuason, as a high-risk provisional witness, is covered by the confidentiality clause under the WPP.