Luy’s mother testifies on Janet’s bail hearing

MANILA, Philippines - The mother of Benhur Luy told a Makati court yesterday that Janet Lim-Napoles had detained her son over alleged undelivered transactions and an alleged illegal project.

Testifying at the bail hearing of Napoles at Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 150, Gertrudes Luy said she met Benhur three times before agents of the National Bureau of Investigation rescued him at the Pacific Plaza condominium in Taguig last March 22.

Gertrudes said that in those three meetings with Benhur, Reynald Lim was always present and would talk about Benhur’s alleged involvement in an illegal project and undelivered transactions.

“I heard them talk about an illegal project,” she said in Filipino.

Gertrudes was referring to a meeting inside the mausoleum of Napoles’ mother at the Heritage Park cemetery in Taguig last Dec. 24.

During that meeting, Benhur denied any involvement in   such illegal project, she added.

Gertrudes also told the court that Napoles told her last Dec. 25 at her home in Dasmariñas Village, Makati that she had ordered Benhur placed under “rehabilitation.”

“She told me that she had Benhur rebilitated in a room,” she said in Filipino.

Gertrudes said Napoles was angry at Benhur and felt that her cousin had betrayed her. “She said that she had entrusted Benhur with her secrets.”

Napoles is the niece of her husband, and she had worked as a nanny for two of her four children until last Dec. 26, Gertrudes added.

She  told the court she had seen the note that Benhur had secretly passed to his sister Anabelle Luy-Reario, but that she did not read it.

Anabelle read the letter, she added.

Upon questioning of defense lawyer Alfredo Villamor, Gertrudes said Anabelle had read the letter to her, but that she didn’t understand it because she was very confused at that time.

During the last hearing,   Anabelle told the court that her family met Benhur and Lim at a meeting at Napoles’ South Garden unit at the Pacific Plaza condominium on Feb. 23.

In that meeting, Anabelle said Benhur managed to slip into her pants’ back pocket a letter asking that he join them in prayer and in asking for Napoles’ forgiveness.

She had interpreted Benhur’s letter as a message that he is being detained and that he wanted to be rescued, Anabelle said.

Villamor grilled Anabelle as to why she believed that Benhur was being illegally detained when he did not specifically mention it in his letter.

Anabelle said although he did not mention it in his letter, she believed that Benhur was in danger as it was not usual for him to write in that manner to his family.

Villamor also asked why the original letter was in the possession of lawyer Levito Baligod and not attached to the documents presented in court.

Prosecutors told the court that the original letter will be presented when Benhur takes the witness stand on Oct. 25.

Judge Elmo Alameda ordered yesterday the defense panel led by lawyer Lorna Kapunan to present their evidence on Oct. 29 and  30.

Kapunan told the court that they intend to present a closed circuit television (CCTV) clip from the Pacific Plaza condominium and Benhur’s diary.

The evidence will prove that Benhur was not held against his will, she added.