Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales said yesterday she will oppose moves by certain quarters to make Janet Lim Napoles a state witness in the multi-billion-peso pork barrel scam which the latter allegedly masterminded.
The anti-graft czar made known her opposition following reports that the Department of Justice (DoJ) is planning to make Napoles a state witness in a bid to encourage her to name other lawmakers who were spared by the previous administration in the investigation for misusing their Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) allocations.
Ms. Morales said they have already indicted and charged Napoles before the Sandiganbayan for her alleged principal role in diverting the PDAF to her fake NGOs and sharing the illegal proceeds with lawmakers.
The Ombudsman said she is not aware of any solon who was deliberately excluded in the investigation by the previous administration in the pork barrel anomalies “but we are still continuing the investigation that might include others (lawmakers).”
She said she is not bothered about possible deal between DoJ and Napoles because “we are confident of our position.”
She said it is the Sandiganbayan that will ultimately decide whether Napoles will be made a state witness.
Morales expressed confidence over the stand of the anti-graft body and not concerned at all about Napoles becoming a state witness. (JUN RAMIREZ)
