Supreme Court allows Janet Napoles to attend ‘pork barrel scam’ trials

MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court (SC) has formally issued a resolution allowing convicted plunderer Janet Lim-Napoles to occasionally leave her prison cell in Mandaluyong City in order to attend the trial of multiple criminal cases against her before the Sandiganbayan.

In a Jan. 29 resolution received by the anti-graft court on March 22, the SC granted the separate letter-requests by four out of seven Sandiganbayan divisions in which the businesswoman has pending cases.

The court divisions asked the SC to allow Napoles to be transported from her cell at the Correctional Institute for Women to the Sandiganbayan whenever there is a hearing.

Napoles was convicted of plunder by the Sandiganbayan First Division in December last year in connection with the misuse of the Priority Development Assistance Fund or pork barrel of former senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr.

The SC issued the resolution following the postponement of several hearings at the Sandiganbayan due to Napoles’ absence.

Aside from her plunder and graft cases over the multibillion-peso pork barrel scam, Napoles is also facing 194 cases at the Sandiganbayan in connection with the equally controversial P900-million Malampaya fund scam.