Senate CCTV footage shows Ruby Tuason without duffle bag. A CCTV footage purportedly showing potential state witness Ruby Tuason (left) passing the Senate hallway on November 17, 2008 is shown during the privilege speech of Senator Jinggoy Estrada on Wednesday, March 12. Pia Arcangel-Halili
The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) is investigating 89 bank accounts belonging to Ruby Tuason, a potential state witness in the P10-billion pork barrel fund scam, a radio report said Wednesday.
According to the report on dzRH, the AMLC found that Tuason has a total of 89 bank accounts under her name plus other joint financial records with her children.
Tuason reportedly has accounts with the Bank of Commerce, Banco De Oro, Hongkong & Shanghai Banking Corp., Metropolitan Bank & Co., Philippine Bank of Communications, Security Bank Corp. and Union Bank.
Witness protection
Malacañang meanwhile said it is up to the Department of Justice (DOJ) to decide whether Tuason is still qualified to be under the government’s Witness Protection Program (WPP).
“Tungkulin ng DOJ ang patuloy na alamin ang kanyang pagiging karapat-dapat na mapasama sa WPP sa harap ng kongkretong katibayan,” Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) secretary Herminio Coloma Jr., said in a text message sent to reporters.
Tuason, a former Malacañang social secretary, is among the 38 individuals facing plunder case before the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with the pork barrel scam.
On February 13, she appeared before the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing on the scam and testified that she used to deliver pork kickbacks to Senator Jinggoy Estrada in his Senate office as well as at his house in Greenhills, San Juan.
Closed circuit television (CCTV) footage released by the Senate sergeant-at-arms on Wednesday showed that Tuason indeed visited the Senate in November and December 2008.
In the footage, Tuason can be seen on the sixth floor of the Senate building, where Estrada’s office is located.
Estrada said the footage does not prove Tuason’s claims.
Senators Estrada, Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. and Juan Ponce Enrile are among the respondents in the pork barrel case together with detained businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles. — Elizabeth Marcelo/BM, GMA News
