Relampagos seeks deferment of ‘pork’ arraignment

Budget Undersecretary Mario Relampagos. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Budget Undersecretary Mario Relampagos and his personnel sought the Sandiganbayan’s nod to defer their arraignment over the graft charges filed against them in connection with the pork barrel scam.

This is because their camp wanted the court to set aside the Ombudsman resolution indicting them of graft. It also asked the court to issue another resolution finding no probable cause for graft.

The budget officials’ camp said this is meant to effectively dismiss the case.

Relampagos and his budget personnel Lalaine Paule, Marilou Bare and Rosario Nunez were co-accused in the graft case of Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. and Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada.

According to their omnibus motion for reconsideration in Revilla’s case, they said the case should be dismissed because principal whistleblower Benhur Luy did not say they were given kickbacks in the scam.

Luy merely said the four were Napoles’ “contact persons,” the motion said.

The motion also said Undersecretary Relampagos only signed five Special Allotment Release Orders (Saro) of the 12 Saros cited to indict them for graft.

These Saros are worth P247,000, as opposed to the P525,000 worth of PDAF transactions that the Ombudsman said went through Relampagos’ office for the pork barrel scam.

On the part of Paule, Bare and Nunez, the motion said the information failed to establish that the three conspired with Napoles in the scam.

“The accused-movants respectfully pray that the resolution dated June 19 be reconsidered and set aside and a new one be issued finding no probable cause against them, dismissing the above cases against them, and recalling the warrants of arrest issued against them,” the motion read.

“Pending final resolution hereof, (we pray) that their arraignment be deferred,” it added.

The Sandiganbayan is hearing the biggest corruption scandal under the current administration — the alleged pillaging of public funds to ghost projects for kickbacks through the bogus foundations of alleged “pork” scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles.

Charged for plunder and graft are Napoles, Revilla, Enrile, and Estrada. Revilla and Estrada have surrendered to the police.

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