MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine National Police (PNP) transferred suspected pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles to its elite force's camp in Fort Sto. Domingo, Sta. Rosa, Laguna early Sunday.
"I confirm Napoles' transfer from Makati City Jail to Sta. Rosa, Laguna," PNP spokesman Senior Superintendent Ruben Theodore Sindac announced.
Sindac said Napoles was fetched from the Makati City Jail (MCJ) at around 5 a.m. and arrived at the police camp shortly after 6 a.m.
He added that MCJ acting warden Chief Inspector Fermin Enriquez turned over Napoles to Superintendent Francis Allan Reglos, commandant of the PNP-Special Action Force (SAF) School at the camp at around 6:30 a.m.
Judge Elmo Alameda of the Makati City Regional Trial Court Branch 150 ordered Napoles' transfer from the MCJ to the police camp on Friday afternoon.
Napoles, through her lawyer Lorna Kapunan, petitioned the court to transfer her from the MCJ to any other detention facility because she does not feel safe there.
During the petition's hearing, Enriquez said he could not guarantee the safety of the businesswoman tagged as the mastermind in the P10 billion pork barrel scam that involves former and sitting members of Congress, including senators.
Napoles surrendered to President Benigno Aquino III at Malacanang on Wednesday night and was immediately brought to the PNP national headquarters in Camp Crame, where she spent the night before her transfer to the MCJ.
She was ordered arrested by Alameda based on the serious illegal detention case filed against her and her brother Reynald Lim by their former employee and relative Benhur Luy, also the whistleblower of the pork barrel scam.
Lim remains at-large. Several tracker teams have been deployed around the country to hunt him down. The government has also offered a P5-million reward for information on his whereabouts.
Sindac said that tighter security is now being implemented around Fort Sto. Domingo. He said several SAF personnel have been deployed at the camp's perimeter and near the detention room of Napoles.
Before the actual transfer, PNP chief Director General Alan Purisima arrived at the MCJ shortly after 4 a.m. and left at around 5 a.m.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas told reporters at Fort Sto. Domingo on Saturday that they could not immediately transfer Napoles to the police camp because the security features of her detention room needs to be enhanced.
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Several high-profile detainees were also brought to Fort Sto. Domingo, including former President Joseph Estrada, former ARMM governor Nur Misuari, and Senators Gringo Honasan and Jinggoy Estrada.