Napoles' brother tried to leave Phl twice this month

MANILA, Philippines - Reynald "Jojo" Lim, brother of alleged multi-billion peso pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles, attempted to leave the country twice this month, an immigration official said Thursday night.

Bureau of Immigration (BI) Regulation Division head Danilo Almeda said that Lim, currently at large from charges of serious illegal detention of scam whistleblower Benhur Luy, attempted to leave the country last August 2 for South Korea via Asiana Airlines flight OZ 706 at 10:19 a.m. 

Related story: NBI still looking for Napoles, brother

On the same day, Lim also attempted to flee to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia through Malaysian Airlines flight MH 705, Almeda added.

"The subject was denied departure clearance on both attempts," the immigration official said.

Almeda said that even before the Makati Trial Court issued an arrest warrant against the siblings last Wednesday, Immigration officer-in-charge Siegfrid Mision already directed the bureau to be on high alert for the Lim siblings.

“This was the instruction of the OIC a few days ago I think last week pa high alert na,” he added.

The Department of Justice ordered the siblings placed on the BI's lookout bulletin last August 5. The bulletin was shared to the country's exit points and all 50 seaports.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), meanwhile, has deployed 12 teams to hunt down Napoles and Lim, whom Justice Secretary Leila de Lima believed to have been tipped on the warrant.

De Lima said the NBI is confident that the siblings are still in the country, but warned their coddlers that they will also be charged for harboring fugitives.

She advised Napoles to surrender and instead prove her innocence in court.

Napoles' own lawyer, Lorna Kapunan, has urged the businesswoman to surface and face the charges.

The NBI has urged the public to  be on the lookout for Lim and Napoles, whose 30 vehicles and corresponding plate numbers were made public by the bureau on Thursday in an effort to hasten the businesswoman's arrest.

Related story: List of Napoles' cars, plate numbers released