A WITNESS in the pork barrel scam told the Sandiganbayan Thursday that accused mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles staged a photo shoot of purported recipients of Masbate Governor Rizalina Seachon Lanete’s project.
During Lanete’s bail hearing for her plunder case, Marina Sula, Napoles’ property custodian, said Napoles ordered the staging of the photo session so that they can submit pictures to the implementing agency as proof of the project.
She said the people in the photo receiving fertilizers from a project supposedly implemented by Masaganang Ani Para sa Magsasaka Foundation Inc. (Mamfi) were actually Napoles’ employees who were asked to act as recipients of Lanete’s pork project. Sula is president of Mamfi.
The photo was taken at JLN Corp. office at the Discovery Center in Pasig city, Sula said.
“That is fake. There is no receipt of items. Ginawa lang yan sa office,” Sula said.
Sula also said Lanete signed memoranda of agreements with Napoles-linked bogus nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and implementing agencies for the pork barrel projects.
Accused of conniving with purported pork barrel scam mastermind Napoles, Lanete as former Masbate representative was alleged to have pocketed P108.405 million siphoned off from her Priority Development Assistance Funds (PDAF) from 2004 to 2010.
In its complaint, the Ombudsman said Lanete misused P112.29 million of her PDAF from 2007 to 2009. Principal whistleblower Benhur Luy said based on his ledger, Lanete received P108.405 million in kickbacks from 2004 to 2010, of which P73.065 million were siphoned off from her PDAF from 2007 to 2009.
In its indictment, the Ombudsman said, “Lanete continuously endorsed the implementation of her PDAF-funded livelihood and agricultural projects to questionable NGOs associated with or controlled by Napoles.”
Lanete is detained at the Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig with a fellow suspect Atty. Jessica Lucila “Gigi” Reyes, the chief of staff of detained Senator Juan Ponce Enrile. AC