Ombudsman may seek SC help on Luy’s bank accounts

MANILA, Philippines - The Office of the Ombudsman may seek the help of the Supreme Court against a Sandiganbayan ruling allowing the opening of bank accounts, as well as property and travel records, of Benhur Luy and other pork barrel scam whistle-blowers.

Acting on a motion by lawyers of alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles, the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division has issued a ruling allowing court access to Luy’s financial and travel records, as well as those of Marina Sula and Merlina Sunas. The Fifth Division is handling the plunder case against Sen. Jinggoy Estrada.

Earlier, the First and Third Divisions handling the plunder charges against Senators Ramon Revilla Jr. and Juan Ponce Enrile, respectively, rejected the same motion by the Napoles camp.

Assistant Ombudsman and spokesperson Asryman Rafanan, Deputy Ombudsman for Luzon Gerard Mosquera and Justice Undersecretary Jose Justiniano said in a press briefing on Thursday that that the Fifth Division order was a violation of the Bank Secrecy Law, since Luy and the others were witnesses and not the ones charged with plunder and malversation.

It was Luy who first revealed the anomalous activities of Napoles after his rescue from alleged detention by the businesswoman. She is being held for serious illegal detention and plunder.

Enrile, Revilla and Estrada – who are all detained for plunder – are being accused of colluding with Napoles in skimming millions of pesos from their pork barrel or Priority Development Assistance Fund through their endorsement of ghost projects.