Prosecution witness Benhur Luy on Tuesday testified before the Sandiganbayan that businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles made him and several other members of her staff heads of foundations to allegedly receive discretionary funds of lawmakers.
When asked, however, for documentary evidence by Napoles’ lawyer Rony Garay, Luy said the daily disbursement reports were in the businesswoman’s office.
Luy made the testimony during the trial on the 15 counts of graft filed against former senator Juan Ponce Enrile, Napoles, Enrile’s former chief-of-staff Jessica “Gigi” Reyes, among others.
“I was in the alpha list of JLN corporation but per advice…in 2006, all of the [JLN] employees, we had our respective foundations as advised by our counsel para matanggal kami sa doon listahan ng mga may kuneksyon sa JLN corporation,” Luy said during the cross examination of Garay and the questioning of Sandiganbayan presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang.
“I stay in her condo…magkasama kami. Taga lagay ng sapatos niya, taga masahe ng paa niya, taga blower,” he added.
JLN Corporation is the firm headed by Napoles.
Upon Garay’s questioning, Luy said that there was no paper trail showing Napoles chose the NGO heads and controlled the organizations’ activities.
“There is no written [proof] of that, sir. Because that is the design of the scheme, para di makita na siya ang nasa likod nito,” Luy said.
Garay asked Luy for documentary evidence backing his statement that Napoles allegedly insttructed him to use portion of Enrile’s discretionary fund to pay other officials to endorse the groups run by the businesswoman to implement ghost government projects.
Luy responded that Napoles signed the daily disbursement report (DDR) of JLN Corp. and these signed copies are in busnesswoman’s office.
He said that his copy of the JLN’s DDR submitted as evidence for the Enrile case was an unsigned copy which he saved in his hard drive. He added that communications with Napoles discussing their activities were not put in writing.
“I do not have with me the signed DDRs of Mrs. Napoles, but it is in our office. Pag ganyan, personal or by phone, text messages, but my phone was confiscated by Mrs. Napoles,” he said.
“She signed the DDR records of her money paid to lawmakers and other government officials. She signed it because it is her money,” he added.
The next hearing on the graft case is set on June 22, Thursday, at 2 p.m.—LDF, GMA Integrated News
