MANILA, Philippines — Not even the children of alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles should be spared from prosecution, Senator Bam Aquino said on Monday.
The neophyte lawmaker, who is a cousin of President Benigno Aquino III, stressed that the full force of the law should be imposed to those who benefited from the embezzlement of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) coursed to the businesswoman's bogus foundations.
"The government should not spare anyone in this investigation. If they do, it will send a wrong signal to the public that anyone can pocket billions and get away with it easily," said Aquino.
Aquino's remarks came after the STAR, quoting Justice Secretary Leila De Lima, reported over the weekend that Napoles may settle for something less than immunity from prosecution.
But as a mother, Napoles reportedly has one request: don't touch her children.
Read: Spare my children – Janet
According to the report, De Lima said Napoles' children might be indicted only for graft instead of plunder, allowing them to post bail.
Napoles' children Jo Christine and James Christopher allegedly forged the signatures of ghost beneficiaries of the Malampaya Fund and liquidated documents in the scam, the STAR report said.
Jo Christine also allegedly received the funds that were funneled to her mother's foundations when Napoles was not at their home at the Pacific Plaza Tower in Taguig, according to key whistle-blower Benhur Luy.
Napoles' youngest daughter, Jeane, is facing tax evasion charges after it was found out that she owns an expensive condominium unit in Los Angeles, California even if she has no visible source of income.
"Testimonies show that they are major participants in this scheme and should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and not be treated with kids' gloves," Aquino said.
Aquino added that Napoles should face the Senate after she recovers from vaginal bleeding and finally reveal the truth regarding the multibillion-peso scam.
"This way, we will let the truth prevail and punish those involved in the scam," Aquino said.