MANILA, Philippines - Alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles visited the office of former National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) director Nonnatus Rojas in May last year, and she was allegedly accompanied by the former husband of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima.
A copy of the closed circuit television (CCTV) footage was presented to the media yesterday by dismissed NBI deputy directors Reynaldo Esmeralda and Ruel Lasala during the ad hoc committee investigation into their removal from office.
The footage showed Napoles wearing a black dress and sunglasses, waiting at the receiving area of Rojas’ office at the NBI.
According to Esmeralda, De Lima’s former husband, lawyer Plaridel Bohol, and Napoles’ two lawyers that included Freddie Villamor accompanied the businesswoman.
The marriage of De Lima and Bohol has been annulled.
The NBI is an attached agency of the Department of Justice. Esmeralda was relieved as deputy director for intelligence while Lasala was deputy director for special investigative services.
De Lima sacked Esmeralda and Lasala two weeks ago over “integrity issues†that stemmed from last year’s allegations that the two officials could be Napoles’ tipsters in the bureau.
Esmeralda and Lasala have denied the allegations, even as they insisted that they do not know Napoles, and that they never had a chance to meet the accused pork barrel scam mastermind.
The NBI had filed plunder charges before the Office of the Ombudsman against Napoles, Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon Revilla Jr. and several other congressmen and government officials in connection with the alleged diversion of pork barrel or Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of lawmakers.
Witnesses told NBI investigators that Napoles, owner of JLN Corp., is the alleged head of the racket that allegedly skimmed billions from the PDAF of several senators and congressmen.
The businesswoman has been linked to an alleged scam involving the diversion of pork barrel funds of several lawmakers into dummy non-government organizations (NGOs) purportedly for ghost projects worth over P10 billion.
Napoles has denied any wrongdoing.
In a text message, Rojas, whose appointment to the bureau was recommended by De Lima, admitted that the meeting took place but denied any irregularity.
“Janet Napoles, accompanied by her lawyer, went to NBI office way back before her warrant of arrest was issued, during the pendency of the serious illegal detention case and were advised of the status of their case,†Rojas said.
“The NBI submitted exhaustive documents to the investigating prosecutor that resulted in the filing of the case in court and the subsequent issuance of the warrants of arrest. Her present detention is the result of the hard and honest work of the many dedicated men and women of the NBI. Any insinuation of irregularity and wrongdoing is strongly and flatly denied. We have always aspired for the highest levels of professionalism,†he added. – With Edu Punay, Jun Elias