Nation

Luy says Napoles took his money from Metrobank

Mike Frialde - The Philippine Star

June 17, 2014 | 3:51pm

MANILA, Philippines - Pork barrel scam whistleblower Benhur Luy again told a Makati court that his personal peso and dollar deposits with Metrobank were transferred to the accounts of Janet Lim Napoles while he was detained at a house owned by the businesswoman inside the posh Magallanes Village in Makati City.

Luy told the Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 150 that while he was being held at Napolesâ€™ house at 52 Lapu Lapu Street in Magallanes Village, the businesswoman forged his signatures and transferred P800,000 from his account in Metrobank-Julia Vargas branch to the account of JLN in Dec. 20, 2012.

Luy added that his dollar account with Metrobank, with the amount $13,761, was also closed in Dec. 27, 2012, allegedly also on Napolesâ€™ orders.

Luy said he learned of his accounts' transfer after he was rescued by the National Bureau of Investigation in March 22, 2013.

â€œI did not cause the preparations of those withdrawal slips,â€ said Luy during his direct examination at the witness stand by prosecution lawyer Henry Salazar.

Under direct examination, Luy also told the court that Napoles had his unit at the One Lafayette condominium at the Eastwood City in Quezon City padlocked. Luy told the court that during his illegal detention, he was deprived of access to his condominium unit and the personal items inside valued at P1 million.

Luy presented in court a three-page handwritten inventory of the items inside the padlocked condominium unit.

In the hearing last October 2, JLN's former employee Merlina Pablo Sunas also testified that Napoles became so angry at her cousin Luy for allegedly entering into secret deals with the chiefs-of-staff of some senators that she ordered the bank accounts transferred to the JLN's accounts using forged signatures.

Meanwhile, the court also accepted the resignation of Alfredo Villamor as lawyer of Napoles in the illegal detention case.

Villamor was replaced as Napolesâ€™ lead counsel by Stephen David, who will also serve as his lawyer in her plunder case before the Sandiganbayan. David will be assisted by Napolesâ€™ spokesperson Bruce Rivera as collaborating lawyer in the illegal detention case.

Luy will return to the witness stand on July 1 at 10 a.m. for the defenseâ€™s cross-examination.

Not delaying tactic

Meanwhile, Rivera told reporters that the defense panel is not trying to delay the illegal detention case hearing by constantly replacing lawyers. Rivera said Villamor resigned on Monday as Napolesâ€™s lawyer due to the recent deaths of his parents.

â€œWe talked (Villamor) and he told me before na yung parents niya ay may sakit. But I did not expect this to happen immediately. I would not want to blame him for the problems. Kasi siya misnmo hindi niya alam kug ano gagawin,â€ said Rivera.

Rivera told reporters that Napolesâ€™ defense panel in the illegal detention case would be hiring two additional lawyers

"Weâ€™re asking two people to join us. Ayoko lang i-divulge kasi baka mapre-empt. Baka mabulaga sila,â€ he said.

Rivera also told reporters that Napoles wants her children not to be implicated in her plunder case.

â€œNag-file nga sila ng judicial determination of probable cause (for Napoles children) because clearly nadamay lang. Hindi sila kasama doon, nadamay lang. The allegation are that they forged the signatures. Sa akin naman, may mga umaamin ng mga forgers, so bakit pa sila magfo-forge? The mere fact na nandun langcsila, does not make them part and parcel. Kasi nakatayo lang sila dun. Why should they forge?â€ Rivera said.