Senate urged to reopen probe of P10-B pork barrel scam

FILE – Janet Lim Napoles at Sandigan Bayan for her Plunder case in PDAF scam. INQUIRER PHOTO/JOAN BONDOC

An anticorruption watchdog is calling on the Senate to act favorably on a resolution filed by Sen. Francis Escudero seeking to reopen the investigation into the P10-billion pork barrel scam, the biggest corruption scandal in post-martial law history.

Bobby Brillante, convenor of the group Campaign for Public Accountability, said the Senate should order suspected pork barrel scam brains Janet Lim Napoles to testify again after she previously claimed that she gave a full list of lawmakers who benefited from the scam to former President Benigno Aquino III.

He said the Senate should also look into the alleged involvement of opposition Senators Franklin Drilon and Antonio Trillanes IV, a fierce critic of President Duterte.

“During the Aquino administration, the Senate, headed by Senator Drilon, was bent on derailing the issue and covering up for some people, at the same time pinning down the opposition at that time,” Brillante said in a statement.

Drilon is currently in London and could not be reached for comment. He had repeatedly denied involvement in the scam, saying he does not personally know Napoles nor has he had any transaction with her.

“Their investigation focused only on three opposition senators while there were other senators (involved in the scam),” he said, referring to former Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and Bong Revilla.