Napoles pleads court not to transfer her to city jail

MANILA, Philippines – Alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles pleaded to the Sandiganbayan on Wednesday not to transfer her to a city jail as she urged the court to ensure her safety.

Government prosecutors had asked the court to transfer Napoles, who is detained at the Fort Sto. Domingo in Laguna, to a Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig, or in any other jails under BJMP.

The prosecution said Napoles should be transferred because the suspect is detained at a facility far from the Sandiganbayan.

They added that Fort Sto. Domingo is not a detention facility for accused facing trial, adding that the expenses incurred for Napoles’ trips from Laguna to Sandiganbayan are too “burdensome” for the government.

Janet Lim-Napoles. POOL PHOTO

In a comment opposition filed before the anti-graft court, Napoles said transferring her to a city jail would be the one to prove as “burdensome” to government.

This is because Napoles had already waived her right to appear in the court hearings, and thus transferring her to another jail would only be unnecessary.

“As it now stands, due to her waiver of appearance, the government incurs no other cost, as claimed by the prosecution,” the comment read.

“However, if she is transferred to another facility, the government will have to incur extra expenses just to secure her again in another detention facility,” the defense added.

Napoles’ counsels then pleaded to the court to consider Napoles’ high-risk profile as a detainee, asking the court to ensure her safety as she faces a highly sensitive case.

“The cases brought against her are intensely controversial and involves highly powerful and controversial personalities. There are grave, real and imminent threat to her life and security,” the comment read.

“Having humanitarian consideration in mind, the accused asks that her safety be guaranteed and not be transferred to another detention facility,” it added.

Napoles’ defense added that transferring Napoles should be under the custody of the Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 150, which is hearing her separate serious illegal detention case for which she is detained.

Napoles is the accused mastermind of the alleged multi-billion racket of pillaging lawmakers’ public spending funds to ghost projects for kickbacks.

In her affidavit, Napoles has pinned down lawmakers as being involved in the alleged racket, although she refused to admit that she was the mastermind.

As she faces plunder and graft charges over the scam, she is detained in Fort Sto. Domingo in Laguna over a serious illegal detention case.

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