Still premature for DOJ to probe scam–De Lima

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Sunday ruled out as premature a call by Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano for an inquiry into the multibillion-peso pork barrel scam, saying the National Bureau of Investigation was still gathering and verifying evidence.

“Perhaps in due time that proposal may be considered, but not at this point,” De Lima said of the suggestion last week by the Senate majority leader for the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Office of the Ombudsman, instead of Congress, to lead the investigation.

In a text message to reporters, she said the NBI was “yet at the evidence gathering and verification stage” in its inquiry into allegations that P10 billion in lawmakers’ Priority Development Assistance Fund had been funneled into ghost projects by dummy nongovernment organizations over the past decade.

“Not advisable as it is not prudent for the probe to be open and public at this point. Still a lot of factual matters being verified or validated,” De Lima said.

Cayetano said a Senate or House investigation into the alleged scam might be problematic because some of the lawmakers had been implicated in the controversy.

The senator had pushed instead for a televised hearing with the DOJ and the Ombudsman forming a panel that would investigate the scam allegedly involving businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles.—Christine O. Avendaño