De Lima using 'pork' case for senatorial ambition?

MANILA, Philippines — Is Justice Secretary Leila de Lima taking advantage of the "pork barrel" case for her senatorial ambition?

In the draft and unsigned affidavit allegedly of businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles that former Senator Panfilo Lacson turned over to the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on Tuesday, Napoles claimed that through lawyer Levito Baligod, De Lima asked 97 mayors allegedly involved in the P900-million Malampaya fund scam to support her senatorial bid.

In the affidavit, Napoles said that she was expecting the 97 mayors to be included in the charge sheet that the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed before the Office of the Ombudsman in October 2013.

Napoles said the mayors benefited from the scam using government funds allocated for energy projects.

Also read: Napoles: Tuason's P300-M mansion from Malampaya

The detained businesswoman explained in the affidavit that the amount given to the local officials came from the 60-percent cut of Ruby Tuason, who has been accepted as state witness, from the Malampaya fund.

"I found out that no one from the 97 mayors was included in the charge sheet by the Department of Justice because Atty. Levito Baligod interviewed each mayor involved and promised their exclusion in the cases provided that they will support the candidacy in Senate of the DOJ Secretary Leila de Lima," Napoles claimed.

Baligod was the axed lawyer of principal "pork barrel" and Malampaya scams whistleblower Benhur Luy. The lawyer, however, remains as counsel to Merlina Suñas and Luy's mother, Gertrudes.

Baligod also filed serious illegal detention charges against Napoles before the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), accusing Luy's former employer of kidnapping that ld to Napoles' detention.

The private lawyer afterwards filed initial plunder charges against Napoles, Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon "Bong" Revilla.

Napoles' statement contradicted

Napoles' claims that De Lima colluded with the mayors including those from Pangasinan, Ilocos Norte, La Union and Bulacan contradict the testimonies of the whistleblowers before the DOJ.

According to De Lima, Luy and Suñas said that the embezzled Malampaya fund, channelled through the Department of Agrarian Reform, went exclusively to Napoles.

In August 2013, De Lima summoned the 97 mayors tagged in the scam to cooperate in the NBI's probe.

Read: NBI invites 97 mayors in fund scam

She said Luy and Suñas told the NBI that the signatures of the mayors were forged by Napoles' workers to make it appear that they had requested and received a commission from the Malampaya fund intended for local government units ravaged by storms Ondoy and Pepeng in 2009.

"The truth is, according to the whistleblowers, no funds were released to the mayors since the P900 million all went to Napoles," De Lima had said.

De Lima met with Napoles last April before her scheduled operation at the Ospital ng Makati. In the meeting, Napoles vowed to disclose what she knows about the scams and submitted a sworn statement.

The Senate panel on Monday issued a subpoena for De Lima and Napoles' affidavit, supposedly baring details on the "pork barrel" scam and a list of alleged scam collaborators including lawmakers and heads of state agencies.

Napoles' camp had said that the assailed businesswoman would also cooperate in the plunder cases on the Malampaya funds scam.

Among the respondents in the DOJ's plunder case are Napoles, former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, six former Cabinet officials and other alleged cohorts.

Read: GMA, 23 others charged with plunder over Malampaya fund