Santiago wants Senate to recall Napoles

Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Janet Lim-Napoles. INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago has requested the Senate blue ribbon committee, investigating the pork barrel” scam, to recall detained Janet Lim-Napoles  to the  witness stand.

Santiago noted that when Napoles first appeared  in the  committee,  the alleged “pork” scam mastermind “consistently refused to answer questions by invoking her right against self-incrimination.”

“However, today’s media reports that Mrs. Napoless has not only asseverated the criminal liability of three senators named in the recent partial report submitted by the committee, but it appears that Mrs. Napoles has also implicated some 19 other senators,”  Santiago said in her letter  on Wednesday to Senator Teofisto  Guingona III, chairman of the committee.

“On this basis, I believe that there are strong reasons based on the Constitution and the Senate  rules for recalling Mrs. Napoles to the witness stand,”  she said.

Santiago said  Napoles’ case should be given  priority over lawyer Jessica Lucila “Gigi” Reyes, “whose whereabouts [seem] to be unknown at this time, triggering rumors wild or otherwise, on where she is.”

Reyes, former chief  of staff of Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce-Enrile, was among those facings  criminal charges   in connection with the   pork scam along with Napoles, Enrile, Senators Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, and Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr, and several other personalities.

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