Janet Napoles and Gigi Reyes. INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS
The Supreme Court has dismissed with finality the attempt of pork barrel scam accused Atty. Jessica Lucila “Gigi” Reyes and Janet Lim Napoles to nullify the finding of probable cause and arrest warrant order issued by the Sandiganbayan.
Also, the high court dismissed with finality the petitions of Napoles’ children Jo Christine and James Christopher questioning the arrest warrants issued against them.
Reyes and Napoles are facing plunder charges while Napoles’ children are facing graft charges for their alleged involvement in the supposed misuse by lawmakers of their Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).
“The Court denied with finality the various motions for reconsideration filed by counsels for the petitioners from its March 15, 2016 decision which dismissed the petitions challenging the finding of probable cause for lack of merit,” high court’s Information Chief Atty. Theodore Te said at a press conference Tuesday.
READ: SC junks bids of Gigi Reyes, Napoles
Reyes, in her petition, said the Ombudsman violated her right to due process. She said she was charged in court without giving her copies of affidavits and transcripts of hearings that she needed to rebut the charges against her.
Napoles argued that she could not be validly charged because she was not a public officer.
Her children took their case to the high court in a bid to nullify the Ombudsman’s March 28, 2014 joint resolution and June 4, 2014 joint order that gave the green light for the filing of criminal case against them.
The siblings insisted that the Ombudsman committed grave abuse of discretion in filing the case against them. CDG/rga