Napoles’ bid to exclude ‘Napolist’ as evidence opposed
Janet Lim Napoles at Sandigan Bayan for her Plunder case in PDAF scam. Napoles wants to be transfered to NBI detention cell.
INQUIRER PHOTO/JOAN BONDOC
State prosecutors opposed the bid of accused pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles to exclude her affidavit, or the so called “Napolist,” from the evidence against detained former Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr.
In its comment opposition filed before the Sandiganbayan First Division, the Office of the Special Prosecutor called as “premature” the request of Napoles to remove her two 2014 affidavits in connection with the Senate inquiry into the pork barrel scam.
In that affidavit, Napoles named over 100 lawmakers who are alleged to be her clients in the alleged pork barrel racket.
READ: 20 senators, 100 congressmen named on Napoles’ long list
The prosecutors said her 2014 affidavit is best tackled in a full-blown trial, and that her affidavit is already part of public records since it was submitted to the Senate Blue Ribbon committee.
“It is clear that the objections raised by accused Napoles as to the admissibility of the evidence of the prosecution, at this stage of the trial, is premature as they have yet to be formally offered by the prosecution,” the comment opposition read.
“These affidavits… form part of the public records of the Senate and consequently, the Court should allow its presentation. In fact, as reported by the media, copies of these two affidavits were distributed to the media by the Senate Blue Ribbon committee and may be found (on) the internet,” it added.
In her motion to exclude the evidence, Napoles said the two affidavits are not admissible because she filed those in connection with her application for state witness, which was dismissed by the Ombudsman.
Napoles said the documents submitted outside the Department of Justice’s investigation are “doubtful.”
Napoles filed the motion in her attempt to block the Ombudsman witness from the Senate to testify on the authenticity of the affidavit.
She is being considered by the justice department to stand as a state witness to point at other personalities purportedly weren’t mentioned during the previous administration. JPV
READ: Napoles: Don’t use pork scam admissions against me in Revilla trial
