MALACAÑANG on Wednesday commended government prosecutors for the “successful and vigorous prosecution” of the serious illegal detention case against alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles.
The Makati Regional Trial Court (RTC) on Tuesday found Napoles and her brother Reynald “Jojo” Lim guilty of illegally detaining whistleblower Benhur Luy. They were sentenced to life imprisonment of 40 years in jail.
READ: Napoles gets life sentence
“We also commend the RTC judge for the relatively speedy disposition of the case,” presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda told INQUIRER.net.
“We hope that this shows that our judiciary, especially in the courts of origin, can promulgate decisions within a relatively swifter period, thus complying with the constitutional right of a person to a speedy trial,” he said.
Before the pork barrel scam was exposed to the public, Napoles’ cousin Luy was rescued by agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
READ: Timeline: Janet Lim-Napoles and the P10-B ‘pork barrel’ scam
Luy is among the principal witnesses in cases involving the pork barrel scam. His testimony has led to the filing of charges against lawmakers accused of pocketing commissions from projects under the now defunct Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) through partnerships with non-government organizations linked to Napoles.