Janet cries in court, defends Ong

MANILA, Philippines - Alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles cried in court during a bail hearing yesterday when a witness identified dismissed Sandiganbayan associate justice Gregory Ong as her contact in the anti-graft court.

The businesswoman defended the honor and integrity of Ong after whistle-blower Marina Sulas testified. Napoles said she did not give Ong a single centavo.

“I pity Ong as he has been dismissed,” Napoles said in Filipino.

“He’s not a friend. If he’s my friend, no case should have been filed against me,” she added, referring to a case involving the purchase of military equipment.

Ong had acquitted Napoles in a malversation case involving the sale of 500 Kevlar helmets to the Marines in 1998, when he was the Sandiganbayan Fourth Division’s chairman.

Last September, the Supreme Court (SC) found Ong guilty of “gross misconduct, dishonesty and impropriety” over his links to Napoles. The decision was affirmed a month later.

Napoles is facing charges of plunder for purportedly masterminding a scheme to divert the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of lawmakers to bogus foundations listed in the name of several of her employees.

Meanwhile, Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang, Third Division chairman, said the Sandiganbayan will seek an extension from the SC in deciding the bail petition of Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr.

Associate Justice Efren de la Cruz, chairman of the First Division handling the plunder charge against Revilla, will sign the extension request, she added.

Revilla is accused of pocketing P224 million in kickbacks from PDAF-funded projects under the Napoles scheme.

Tang said the main reason for asking for the extension is the bulk of evidence that must be examined, including that of Napoles and Revilla’s alleged kickback collector Richard Cambe.

Last May, the SC issued new guidelines for courts to resolve bail petitions submitted for resolution within 48 hours.

However, this reportedly cannot be applied in Revilla’s case as his bail motions were submitted for resolution last Thursday.