Senator Bong Revilla, shown in photo on his way to be detained on plunder and graft charges, said his lawyer, Sal Panelo, only talked about the rats and roaches in his cell in jest. Revilla’s lawyer has said the senator’s family saw rats “as big as cats” inside the senator’s cell. (MNS photo)
MANILA (Mabuhay) — A lawyer of the Anti-Money Laundering Council on Thursday said Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. used the bank account of a “dummy” corporation to receive alleged kickbacks from Janet Napoles.
During his cross-examination for Revilla’s bail petition, Atty. Leigh Von Santos confirmed Revilla did not use aliases in his bank accounts.
Santos, however, said Nature Concepts Development and Realty Corporation – a company owned by Revilla’s wife Lani Mercado
received deposits amounting to P23 million even during the period when the company was not operating.
The AMLC investigator said the company’s bank account got P2.2 million in 2007, P15 million in 2009 and another P250,000 during the same year.
Santos said Nature Concepts could be considered a “dummy corporation” of Senator Revilla. He earlier said the company had no corporate and financial activities reported to the Securities and Exchange Commission.
An AMLC report also said Nature Concepts received a total of P27.745 million through deposits from 2007 to 2010.
This is the same period that whistle-blower Benhur Luy alleged that Revilla received kickbacks from his anomalous transactions with Napoles.
“Despite the insubstantial capital, it received substantial amounts through deposit totaling Php 27,745,000, most of which amount-wise were done proximate to the time [Richard] Cambe received cash from Luy, and during the period when it apparently has no operations,” the AMLC said in its report.
Asked about his alleged dummy corporation, Revilla said it is a realty corporation but refused to provide details.
“Lalabas din sa korte yan. Hintayin niyo na lang,” he said.
Revilla’s wife was also present during the hearing.
The AMLC report earlier said Revilla and his family members made numerous deposits to different bank accounts from April 6, 2006 to April 28, 2010.
The deposits, totaling P87.6 million, were all made within 30 days from the dates stated by pork scam whistle-blower Benhur Luy in his ledger. Luy had said the dates show when Revilla’s aide, Richard Cambe, received the kickbacks from alleged pork scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles.
The AMLC report said the accounts were immediately closed after the pork barrel scam was exposed to the media.
Revilla earlier confirmed terminating 20 bank accounts at the height of the pork barrel scam but said this is to financially protect his family before the government could freeze his accounts.
Prosecutor Joefferson Toribio said Santos’ testimony has strengthened their case against Revilla. The senator is accused of pocketing P224,512,500 in kickbacks after funneling his pork barrel funds to Napoles NGOs.
Whistle-blower Benhur Luy earlier said Revilla’s aide, Richard Cambe, received the kickbacks for the senator.
NO DOCUMENTS
For his cross examination for Cambe, Atty. Remigio Ancheta asked Santos if there were documents that would prove Cambe received money from Napoles or her NGOs.
Santos said there were none.
However, he said AMLC was able to examine two bank accounts of
Cambe that showed entries which “approximated” the entries in Benhur Luy’s ledger.
Luy earlier said he kept a ledger of all cash transactions being conducted by Mrs. Napoles.
The AMLC report earlier said Revilla and his family made deposits and placed investments within 30 days from the dates stated by Luy in his ledger.
It noted that the interval between the receipt and initial deposit of cash “is an integral indication of a money laundering scheme since the money, which is in cash, is still close to its alleged illegal origins.” (MNS)