Bong wants Luy, NBI agent, prosecutor cited in contempt

MANILA, Philippines - The lawyers of Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr. requested the Sandiganbayan to cite in contempt the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agent who testified on the contents of the hard drive of pork barrel scam whistleblower Benhur Luy.

 

In their motion, Revilla's legal counsels told Sandiganbayan's First Division that NBI agent Joey Narciso should be cited in contempt for refusing to have the all the contents of Luy's hard drive be copied by the defense panel.

 

Aside from Narciso of the NBI's cyber-crime division, the anti-graft should also cite in contempt the prosecution panel head, Director Joeferson Toribio; Luy and his two private counsels Anel Antero and Glennbelle Granado, they said.

 

The defense panel said none of the prosecution lawyers objected to the order of the anti-graft court when it approved the copying of the files in Luy's external hard drive by all of the accused.

 

"No doubt, the external disc drive having already been presented before the honorable court against all the accused have thereby become entitled... to be provided of said external hard drive that they may be properly and equitably be allowed to cross-examine the witness or witnesses... and be heard on their defenses," the motion read.

 

Revilla's lawyers also asked the Sandiganbayan to strike out from the records the testimony of Narciso and to declare the presentation of evidence by the prosecution terminated.

 

Luy's lawyers earlier filed an urgent motion to clarify before the Sandiganbayan, saying the copying of the files in Luy's hard drive should be limited to those covered by the testimony of Narciso.

 

"The information contained in the hard drive is not only limited to the transactions of Janet Lim Napoles with other several accused in this case but also to those acccused in other criminal cases, now pending before the different divisions of this Honorable Court. To allow the defense copy all the files in the hard drive would prematurely leak sensitive information that may adversely affect the government's other cases as well as the ongoing investigations of the NBI and Office of the Ombudsman," Luy's camp said. 

 

Revilla is facing plunder and graft cases in connection with the pork barrel scam.