MANILA, Philippines - Seems like it’s a husband-and-wife act.
Businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles, the alleged brains of the so-called pork barrel scam, has been in the news the past days, and now her husband, retired Marine Maj. Jaime Napoles, is getting his share of the spotlight.
Jaime retired as a Marine officer in 2004.
Military sources said he entered the service in the 1980s and availed of optional retirement on Dec. 31, 2004.
Sources also said Jaime started his military career as a reserve officer and reportedly entered the regular force by applying for active duty status.
In 2001, Jaime and Janet Napoles and 16 others were charged with graft and malversation of public funds in connection with the alleged irregular purchase of 500 Kevlar helmets worth P3.8 million.
The purchase orders and requisition and issue orders for the helmets were allegedly split into lesser amounts to avoid the requirement to have them approved by higher authorities.
Graft investigators claimed that the procurement of the 500 helmets was maliciously divided into purchase orders of not more than P300,000 each from the winning suppliers.
Initial investigations also showed that the seven winning bidders were mere dummies.
Jaime was cleared of the charges in 2002 due to lack of probable cause. Janet was also exonerated of the charges in 2010.