Seeks overturn of Sandiganbayan resos vs case dismissal
(Eagle News)–Janet Lim Napoles has asked the Supreme Court to issue a temporary restraining order on her plunder trial where former Senator Jinggoy Estrada stands as a co-accused.
Napoles also asked the SC to overturn the Sandiganbayan’s resolutions that dismissed her pleas to have the case junked citing weak prosecution evidence.
Napoles argued the Sandiganbayan committed grave abuse of discretion in issuing the resolutions, noting that no “main plunderer” had been identified in the first place.
The Supreme Court, she argued, has ruled the identification of a main plunderer in the information was required.
Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo argued the same in the plunder case filed against her in connection with the alleged Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office scam, an argument which led to the dismissal of the case.
In Napoles’ case though, there are private individuals and a government official involved, while in Arroyo’s case, charged were all government officials.
The plunder case stemmed from Napoles allegedly giving Estrada P55.79 million worth of kickbacks, in supposed exchange for his allocation of his pork barrel funds to Napoles’ fake non-government organizations.
Napoles was already convicted of plunder in 2018, this time in connection with Senator Bong Revilla’s pork barrel.
Revilla was acquitted.
