What Went Before: Serious illegal detention charge vs Napoles

Janet Lim-Napoles. FILE PHOTO

It’s been almost two years since the serious illegal detention charge was filed against businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles, who is also facing plunder complaints along with senators, congressmen, their aides and other officials in connection with the multibillion-peso pork barrel scam.

Benhur Luy, a relative of Napoles and her former confidant-employee at her JLN Group of Companies, was allegedly held captive for three months beginning in December 2012 by Napoles and her brother, Reynald Lim, a coaccused in the case.

A medical technology graduate, Luy joined Napoles, a distant cousin, in September 2002 and became her personal assistant. There was a falling out, after Napoles claimed that Luy took an unauthorized loan of P5 million and ran away with P300,000 he was ordered to deposit in her account.

On March 22, 2013, agents of the National Bureau of Investigation swooped down on a condominium unit in the South Garden Pacific Towers in Taguig City and rescued Luy, after his parents, Arturo and Gertrudes Francisco, filed a complaint with the agency.

On March 23, the NBI recommended to the Department of Justice (DOJ) that both Napoles and her brother be prosecuted for serious illegal detention, or violation of Article 267 of the Revised Penal Code.

Luy said he was detained to prevent him from reporting to authorities what he knew about Napoles’ racket involving the misuse of lawmakers’ Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) through bogus nongovernment organizations (NGOs).

After he was rescued by the NBI, Luy executed an affidavit alleging that Napoles, president and chief executive officer of JLN Corp., was behind a multibillion-peso scam using the pork barrel of senators and congressmen for nonexistent projects.

Napoles, Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Ramon Revilla Jr. and Jinggoy Estrada, and 34 other people are facing charges of plunder, malversation, bribery and graft and corrupt practices in the Sandiganbayan for their alleged involvement in the controversy.

On April 15, Napoles, in her counteraffidavit, denied all of Luy’s allegations. On June 10, a panel of prosecutors from the DOJ recommended the dismissal of the illegal detention complaint after saying that it found that Luy had voluntarily stayed at a Napoles-supported Catholic retreat house. Following a motion for reconsideration the DOJ refiled the case on Aug. 13 and warrants of arrest were issued against the siblings the next day.

Napoles disappeared for two weeks but surrendered to President Aquino in Malacañang on the evening of Aug. 28, the same day Aquino announced a P10-million bounty for her arrest. She was escorted by the President to Camp Crame to be detained.–Ana Roa, Inquirer Research

Sources: Inquirer Archives