Napoles camp won't commit to opening bank accounts
By Ina Reformina, ABS-CBN News
Posted at 07/17/2013 3:38 PM | Updated as of 07/18/2013 2:29 AM
Denies close ties with legislators, Enrile's former chief of staff
MANILA (1st UPDATE) - The camp of Janet Lim Napoles, the businesswoman embroiled in the reported P10 billion legislators' pork barrel scam, denies she is as wealthy as she is being portrayed by a trusted relative-turned-foe.
Yet, in spite of mounting pressure for Napoles to have her bank accounts scrutinized by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), and an assurance that her camp will cooperate in any probe pertaining to the issue, her lawyers said she has yet to respond to the challenge.
"I cannot speak on her behalf, it's unfair for me to give an answer now since I might preempt what she's going to do," said her counsel and spokesman, Atty. Bruce Rivera, in a press conference in Manila on Wednesday.
Rivera said Atty. Levito Baligod, the lawyer of Benhur Luy, the main whistleblower of the pork barrel scam and relative and former employee of Napoles, met with Napoles to "extort" P300 million from her in exchange for the dropping of the serious illegal detention charges against her and her brother, Reynald.
"If it's true she has P10 billion, what is P300 million? But she does not have that," Rivera said.
Whether Napoles waives her right on the secrecy of her bank deposits, Justice Secretary Leila De Lima had earlier bared that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the agency asked to probe the alleged pork scam, is already coordinating with AMLC.
Luy and 5 others implicated Napoles and her JLN Group of Companies in the scam, allegedly in cahoots with senators, congressmen, and public agencies that implement the projects of lawmakers under their Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).
The list of lawmakers who have allegedly misused and benefited from their PDAF includes Sen. Pres. Juan Ponce Enrile, Sen. Bong Revilla, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, Sen. Gringo Honasan, Sen. Bongbong Marcos, all of whom have categorically denied the allegation.
NOT PERSONALLY ACQUAINTED WITH LAWMAKERS
Contrary to the claims of Luy's camp that Napoles is closely associated with the legislators they have identified, Rivera said she is "not personally acquainted with any of them."
Napoles may have, on some occasion, had her photo taken with any of the legislators, he added, but this does not mean she personally knew them.
"She had her picture taken with Sen. Bong Revilla because he is popular and good looking, but that's it," Rivera said.
Rivera also flatly denied that Napoles is close to Atty. Gigi Reyes, the resigned chief-of-staff of Enrile, who had also found herself the target of attacks for allegedly being more powerful than her designation allowed her to.
Rivera denied that Napoles was present in Reyes' 50th birthday party attended by high-ranking government officials and her closest circle of friends.
"She (Napoles) cannot remember if she went to that party, she attends many parties," Rivera said.
FEARING FOR SECURITY
In a statement read by Rivera, Napoles said she now fears for her security and that of her family following Luy's revelations about her residences, officers, and vehicles.
"I now fear for the security of myself and my family since Benhur [has] divulged in public our known residential addresses as well as location of our offices.
"Several family-owned vehicles with plate numbers were also exposed by Benhur and we now fear that kidnappers would now be targeting us thinking that the amount of money being attributed to us is true," she said.
Despite this fear, Napoles is "not in hiding," Rivera assured.
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