MANILA, Philippines — Janet Lim Napoles, the woman at the center of the massive corruption scandal that rocked the Philippines during the previous administration, has been indicted by the US government for laundering money skimmed off state coffers, according to American prosecutors.
The prosecutors said that they would seek the extradition of Napoles, who is currently in jail in the Philippines for graft charges, after a federal grand jury in California on Tuesday indicted her.
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What are the charges for
Napoles and five family members are accused of transferring $20 million stolen from the Philippines to bank accounts in California, according to US prosecutors.
Prosecutors said the money, which was from the Priority Development Assistance Fund intended to help poor Filipinos, was used to purchase assets in the US, including property, shares in businesses and luxurious vehicles, and to finance the lifestyle of Napoles' US-based daughters.
The others named in the indictment were Jo Napoles, James Napoles, Jeane Napoles, Reynald Lim and Ana Lim.
Federal prosecutors said Napoles and her family tried to secretly liquidate the US assets and transfer the cash back to the Philippines or elsewhere.
They also tried to give the money to one of Napoles' daughters, who used the cash to open a fashion business.
Can she be extradited?
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said that as of August 2, the US Justice Department has not submitted a formal request "for extradition of Napoles and her relatives."
He stressed that Janet is still facing cases before Philippine courts and she may not be extradited to the US to face the money laundering charges.
Janet's relatives who were indicted for the same case and have no pending cases in the country, however, may be extradited.
Guevarra said that the Sandiganbayan will have the last say on Janet's extradition if requested.
"It has jurisdiction over the subject matter and the person of Janet Napoles," he added.
What went before
Napoles is a key player in the so-called "pork barrel scandal" that rocked the Philippine political establishment during the time of former President Benigno Aquino III.
She is accused of pilfering around $200 million (P10 billion) from Philippine coffers, money that was intended to finance projects that would help poor Filipinos.
The scam was orchestrated by funneling the pork barrel funds to ghost projects of fake non-government organizations and foundations. Those involved would then divide the money among themselves.
The scandal sent her to prison as well as three senators in 2014—Jinggoy Estrada, Juan Ponce Enrile and Ramon Revilla Jr.
Of the three senators, Enrile and Estrada were allowed to post bail while Revilla remains detained at Camp Crame, the Philippine National Police headquarters.
Napoles was acquitted of charges of abduction and illegal detention of former aide Benhur Luy in 2014. This aide is a state witness in her plunder and corruption cases.
The Philippine Justice department recently reversed its earlier proposal to turn Napoles into a state witness, which could have avoided her a long sentence in jail if convicted.
What is PDAF
The PDAF was the official name of the congressional pork barrel. It was a lump sum appropriation in the national budget, allocating millions in pesos for each member of the Senate and House of Representatives.
PDAF allocations were released after a senator or congressman makes a request accompanied by a project list. Projects were drawn from a menu specified in the annual budget.
The Supreme Court had declared the PDAF unconstitutional in its final decision on Nov. 19, 2013, amid public outrage following the Commission on Audit special report citing gross misuse of the fund by lawmakers. — with AFP, AP