Napoles brod key to PDAF probe – DOJ

MANILA, Philippines - Whatever happened to the brother of jailed pork barrel queen Janet Lim-Napoles?

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II has ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to trace the whereabouts of Reynald “Jojo” Lim.

Aguirre believes Lim is the key to the reinvestigation on the multibillion-peso Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) anomaly.

“I think it’s not just the NBI that should find him, but also the PNP (Philippine National Police). He could be a big piece in the puzzle that we will solve,” he said.

Aguirre said he has received information that a certain group holding Jojo Lim was blackmailing Napoles.

“Based on the information – still raw – the brother was held to prevent Mrs. Napoles from tagging several personalities in the PDAF scam during the investigation in the previous administration,” he said.

Aguirre said it appeared Lim was used to “blackmail” Napoles in the selective prosecution of lawmakers and officials who benefited from the PDAF anomaly.

Asked whom he was referring to, the DOJ chief replied: “You all know which group it is.”

Aguirre vowed to name the group once the NBI has gathered evidence to support the information.

Sources, however, hinted Lim was held by a political party and was even made to contribute millions during the campaign in last year’s general elections.

The source revealed Napoles continues to receive death threats while in prison at the Correctional Institute for Women (CIW).

The threats turned worse following reports that she is being considered as a government witness.

Aguirre explained this is precisely the reason he supports the plea of Napoles to be transferred to a more secure detention facility such as the NBI main office.

He believed that once the threat to her brother has been resolved and Napoles has been secured, that’s the only time she could fully spill the beans on the PDAF scam.

Lim was a co-accused of Napoles in the serious illegal detention case filed by whistleblower Benhur Luy, where the businesswoman was acquitted recently by the Court of Appeals.

Lim however turned fugitive and authorities have yet to determine his whereabouts.

Meanwhile, Aguirre gave assurance that the reinvestigation on the PDAF scam would not be as “selective.”

He said the investigation would not target specific personalities or a particular political party.

“Napoles will be used only against those guilty whether you are in the opposition or administration. If evidence will show you are responsible, you should clear your name or prepare for trial,” Aguirre said.

“We are going to conduct investigation without being influenced by anybody,” he stressed.

According to Aguirre, the President has not discussed the matter with him.

Last week, Aguirre announced the conduct of a reinvestigation on the pork barrel scam and the possibility of Napoles being used as state witness.

He has met with Napoles’ lawyer Stephen David and former Manila councilor Greco Belgica, an anti-pork barrel advocate who petitioned the Supreme Court to stop the PDAF during the previous administration.

Aguirre said there was “selective justice” and “miscarriage of justice” in the investigation and prosecution of lawmakers in the PDAF scam.

He pointed out only three senators and a few congressmen were indicted in the Sandiganbayan when Napoles had tagged about a dozen senators and over 100 congressmen.

Aguirre however assured the public that the reinvestigation would not affect the ongoing trial in the Sandiganbayan of former senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Ramon Revilla Jr. and Jinggoy Estrada who are co-accused of Napoles in the plunder cases stemming from the pork barrel scam.

The Sandiganbayan, meanwhile, has dismissed the motion of reconsideration filed by co-accused Jessica “Gigi” Reyes to drop the plunder case against her, saying her pleading lacks merit.

The court affirmed its January decision to junk her motion for reconsideration seeking a reversal of the original ruling that denied her pleading. – Michael Punongbayan