LESS than a month before he was replaced in April this year, then Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II placed alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Napoles under the Witness Protection Program preparatory to her turning state witness.
She was ready to tell all and had in fact already executed an affidavit which Aguirre said was being assessed by the DOJ. Responding to observations that Napoles did not deserve the privilege because she was the most guilty, Aguirre asked: “Who is more guilty: the public officer or the private person who has just finished high school?”
Aguirre, who was one of the most visible cabinet officials under President Duterte, has since faded into oblivion and still we haven’t heard what happened to the supposed affidavit of Napoles. Where is it now? What does it say?
Had Aguirre’s plan succeded, Napoles would have escaped imprisonment regardless of what happened to the cases against her co-accused. She would have been free to enjoy the millions that was supposed to have amassed from the shady deals she allegedly had with a number of senators and congressmen. Unfortunately for her, the Sandiganbayan refused to come along. Worse, Aguirre quit and his replacement, Menardo Guevarra doesn’t seem enamored with the idea of giving her a Get Out of Jail Free card.
In fact, one of the first things that Guevarra did when he assumed office was to withdraw the WPP coverage of Napoles which, he said, has become moot anyway. Unlike his predecessor, Guevarra seems to like working quietly. So quietly in fact that until the United States government announced that they have indicted Napoles and her family for money laundering, we did not know that our Justice Department and its US counterpart have been collaborating in laying the groundwork for the indictment.
What is the significance of the US complaint against Napoles? I can think of only one and it is that in the unlikely event that Aguirre returns as DOJ secretary and pursues the state witness plan for Napoles, she still could not go scot-free as there is the US case that she has to contend with.
Guevarra, on the other hand, said he welcomed the US interest in the case because “it paves the way for the return of the people’s money to our national treasury.” I told you this guy is different in a pleasant and refreshing way.
Just how much money are we talking about here? The US Justice Department placed the figures at approximately $20 million from the PDAF that Napoles converted to her benefit from the PDAF in collaboration with some 20 lawmakers . Unfortunately for us, the US Justice Department did not include these senators and congressmen in the charges probably because they did not have a direct hand in transmitting the money to the US.
Apparently, the assets are in longer in the banks. The US State Department in a separate statement said although the money was wired to Southern California bank accounts, it was used to purchase properties including real estate and two Porsche Boxters.
So they found Napoles’s assets in the US. I hope we could also find her affidavit in the DOJ and know what she had written there.