Senator Grace Poe (left) is questioning the ‘special treatment’ being given to alleged pork barrel scam brains Janet Lim-Napoles (right). The DOJ has given Napoles provisional admittance to the Witness Protection Program due to alleged threats on her life after she reportedly issued an affidavit implicating three more senators and two former executive department officials in the multi-billion peso anomaly. INQUIRER FILES
Why give one person a special treatment?
Senator Grace Poe raised this question on Tuesday after Janet Lim- Napoles, the alleged mastermind in the so-called pork barrel scam, had been admitted into the government’s Witness Protection Program (WPP).
READ: Napoles now under provisional WPP coverage
Poe pointed out that to be admitted as a state witness, the accused should “not appear as most guilty.”
Another notable requisite, she said, is that there should be no other direct evidence available for the prosecution against the accused.
“How can Janet Lim Napoles NOT appear as most guilty when she has been identified as the ‘pork barrel queen’? The pieces of evidence against Napoles even led to the indictment and detention of several high profile public officials,” said Poe, who formerly chaired the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs.
“Pagdating naman sa ebidensya, tinamad na naman ba ang prosekusyon sa pagkalap ng mga ebidensya? Mahirap masanay sa pagdepende na lamang sa testimonya ng mismong kriminal upang pagtakpan ang kawalang abilidad ng gobyernong lumikom ng ebidensya at magpalakas ng kaso laban sa kriminal,” she added.
The senator said the government’s WPP was supposed “to protect and secure the qualified witnesses, so we can conclude the case.”
“Bakit kailangang bigyan ng special treatment ang isang tao?” Poe further asked.
Napoles’ provisional admission into the WPP took effect last February 27 but the news about it was reported only last week.
Justice Secrtary Vitaliano Aguirre earlier said Napoles has executed an affidavit that provided more details on the misuse of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) also known as pork barrel.
“We confirm that Janet L. Napoles has been placed under Provisional Admission of WPP subject to affidavit she submitted which is now undergoing assessment,” Aguirre said.
Napoles is currently detained at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City pending her request to be transferred under the government’s custody. /kga