Press Release
March 21, 2018

POE SCOFFS AT DOJ DECISION TO PLACE NAPOLES AS STATE WITNESS: 'WHY GIVE PREMIUM TO HER?'

Sen. Grace Poe was baffled by the decision of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to place the Janet Lim-Napoles, the alleged mastermind of the P10 billion "pork barrel" scam, under government protection, saying the DOJ may have been slack in doing its job.

"Dapat na masusing ginagawa ng DOJ ang kanilang trabaho. Hindi sila nagre-rely dito sa mga sangkot sa kaso kasi diba parang natural lamang yun kung gusto mong isalba ang sarili mo, kahit ano sasabihin mo. Self-preservation [ang ginagawa niya] so bakit natin bibigyan ng premium ang testimonya ng isang taong nahahalo dito sa katiwalian na ito?" Poe told reporters.

This, even after the camp of Napoles had admitted that they sought legal advice of Malacañang for her to be taken out of her detention at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City and be provisionally placed under DOJ's Witness Protection Program.

Poe said Napoles, who has been tagged as the mastermind on the alleged misuse of lawmakers' Priority Development Assistance Fund or pork barrel, was not worthy of government protection at all.

"Wala na ba tayong puwedeng ibang makuhang ebidensya laban dito? Kailangan yun ang gawin nating prime source of convictions para sa iba? Para sa akin walang halaga yun, kasi mas importante sa kanya [Napoles] kung nagawa niya ang lahat ng bagay na yan e ano pa ito para sa sarili niya na isalba," Poe said.

Poe said DOJ's assertion that Napoles was "not the most guilty" in the pork barrel scam was questionable when pieces of evidence against her even led to the indictment and detention of several high profile public officials.

"Please, huwag naman natin gawing basehan yun," the senator added.

She said Napoles could not be trusted, even after she denied her involvement in the embezzlement of the funds but all evidence point to her as the brains behind the scam.

"Hindi ko siya mapapagkatiwalaan. Hindi ko alam papaano siya mapapagkatiwalaan na ang alam naman natin self-preservation na o iligtas ang kanyang sarili ang magiging pangunahing konsiderasyon niya," said Poe.

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