Senate orders DOJ, NBI to turn over Luy’s files
MANILA, Philippines—It’s time to see the contents of Benhur Luy’s files, which have been rattling the political clients of alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles for nearly two weeks.
The Senate blue ribbon committee on Thursday issued subpoenas for Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and the National Bureau of Investigation, directing them to produce Luy’s files by next Wednesday.
Luy is the former finance officer of Napoles who blew the whistle on her alleged racket last year and is now the principal witness in her prosecution along with three senators and more than 30 former members of the House of Representatives and former government officials for plunder.
Luy’s parents gave the files to the Inquirer last year and asked for help in exposing Napoles’ alleged racket, leading to the discovery of the P10-billion pork barrel scam that now threatens to send Napoles, Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and Bong Revilla and her other clients in the House, and several government offices to jail for life.
Files with NBI
The Inquirer has been publishing the contents of Luy’s files these past 11 days, detailing Napoles’ transactions with the lawmakers involving the expenditure of their allocations from the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), a pork barrel that until abolished last year channeled funds to projects for congressional districts recommended by the legislators.
Earlier the blue ribbon committee issued a subpoena directing Luy, who is under government protection, to submit the files, but he wrote back to inform the panel that he had given the files to the NBI.
On Thursday, the committee headed by Sen. Teofisto Guingona III issued subpoenas for De Lima and NBI Director Virgilio Mendez, directing them to submit the files by Wednesday next week.
Senate President Franklin Drilon approved the subpoenas.
Specifically, the committee wants a copy of the contents of Luy’s “hard drive.”
Files to be submitted
De Lima said Thursday that she had directed the NBI to make a copy of the hard drive’s contents for submission to the blue ribbon committee.
Guingona did not speak to reporters on Thursday. But in earlier interviews, he said the committee would compile all the affidavits before deciding when to resume the hearing on the pork barrel scam.
The blue ribbon committee also wants De Lima to submit the affidavit of Napoles that would support a list of the lawmakers the businesswoman had dealt with and that she gave to her before undergoing surgery for the removal of her uterus and ovaries last month.
De Lima handed over the list last week and was supposed to submit the affidavit to the blue ribbon committee Thursday but she said Napoles’ relapse after the operation “slowed down” work on the affidavit.
De Lima said she had asked the blue ribbon committee to give her until next Monday to submit Napoles’ affidavit.
Guingona’s staff said the senator found De Lima’s reason for the delay valid and agreed to the submission of the affidavit next Monday.
More names
In that affidavit, Napoles is reportedly adding names to the list of lawmakers that she gave to De Lima when she visited her at Ospital ng Makati before her surgery last month.
De Lima said Napoles promised to tell all about the pork barrel scam in her affidavit.
Napoles is under police custody while undergoing trial for alleged serious illegal detention, a charge brought against her by Luy not related to the pork barrel scam but led to the disclosure of Napoles’ alleged raids on the PDAF in connivance with lawmakers.
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