Sen. Aquino: Most guilty? Least guilty? Napoles should be held accountable

Sen. Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV

MANILA, Philippines — Whether she was most guilty or least guilty, alleged “pork barrel” scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles is still guilty and should be held accountable for her actions, Senator Bam Aquino said on Friday.

“The veracity of her (Napoles) affidavit will determine whether her apology to the public is real and heartfelt or if she’s just destroying the reputation of innocent government officials,” Aquino said in a statement.

“That’s why the Department of Justice needs to scrutinize it thoroughly and compare it with the earlier testimonies of Benhur Luy, Ruby Tuason and other whistleblowers,” he said.

Aquino pointed out that the other cases filed with the Office of the Ombudsman underwent the same process “so it is imperative that Napoles’ affidavit goes through the same process to determine its truthfulness.”

“If it will be established that Napoles is lying, then she wasted the only opportunity to redeem herself for her sins against the public,” the senator added.

Napoles, in her affidavit submitted to the DOJ and the Senate blue ribbon committee, appealed that she be granted immunity from suits.

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