Luy lawyer hopes OSG move won’t affect pork barrel raps vs Napoles

Benhur Luy and Janet Lim Napoles (INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS)

MANILA — The lawyer of pork barrel scam whistleblower Benhur Luy has expressed surprise at the Office of the Solicitor-General’s move to seek the acquittal of alleged mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles for his illegal detention.

Raymond Joseph Ian “Raji” Mendoza, in a text message to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, said: “We are just as surprised as everybody, but we have yet to officially receive a copy of the OSG’s mysterious Comment.”

He said Luy’s camp was not aware of any order from the Court of Appeals requiring the OSG to file the “manifestation in lieu of rejoinder” regarding Napoles’ appeal on her April 2015 conviction by the Makati City Regional Trial Court Branch 150.

Mendoza added that the issues raised by the OSG “merely reiterate the position of the accused-appellant Napoles, which have been fully answered to the satisfaction of the trial court.”

He also held out hope that the government’s move, a departure from the legal tactics it pursued before, would not affect the illegal detention case before the CA as well as the pork barrel cases pending at the Sandiganbayan.

“We can draw a number of conclusions from this Comment but we certainly hope that it does not adversely affect the serious illegal detention case with the CA as well as the PDAF (priority development assistance fund or pork barrel) cases before the Sandiganbayan,” he said. SFM