MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / July 22, 2013) – The Philippines said it will investigate allegations involving some P10 billion in funds intended for development projects of senators and congressmen which allegedly went to ‘ghost projects’ of fictitious nongovernmental organizations.
“What we would like to emphasize is all the aspects of this travesty are being investigated fully regardless of where it leads up. This applies to both the investigation on Janet Napoles and also in the investigation on Cadavero,” Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said in a press briefing in Manila.
Napoles is being implicated in the scam using mainly the Priority Development Assistance Fund of lawmakers. Napoles has denied the allegations saying her company, JLN Corporation, had never transacted business with the government or any of its agencies. Napoles is the president and CEO of JLN Corporation.
In 2001, Napoles and her husband, retired Army Maj. Jaime Napoles, were among 18 personnel of the Navy Marine Corps and civilians, charged by the Office of Ombudsman in connection with the acquisition of substandard Kevlar helmets worth P3.8 million.
Napoles was also summoned by the Senate blue ribbon committee during its investigation on the P728-million fertilizer scam involving then Agriculture Undersecretary Jocelyn Bolante.
Napoles’s woes stemmed from the allegations of Benhur Luy, a distant cousin and her personal assistant in JLN Corp., that she had ordered his kidnapping and illegal detention.
The 31-year old Luy, who was allegedly rescued by a special task force of NBI agents last March, outlined the alleged involvement of Napoles in the scam.
He said Napoles purportedly used funds from the lawmakers priority and various government entities, for ghost projects executed by several dozen bogus contractors in the past 10 years.
The Palace said it is letting the Department of Justice, through the National Bureau of Investigation to fully investigate the case.
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