Miriam grills Ruby Tuason on ‘pork’. Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago questions potential state witness Ruby Tuason during the continuation of the Senate blue ribbon committee’s inquiry on the alleged P10-billion pork barrel scam on Thursday, February 13. Benjie Castro
The mere presence of Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile during the meetings between his former chief of staff Atty. Gigi Reyes and Ruby Tuason over alleged pork barrel scam deal was enough proof of conspiracy.
Santiago was referring to Tuason’s affidavit that was one of the subjects in Thursday’s Senate probe on the supposed P10-billion pork barrel fund anomaly.
In a news release on Saturday, Santiago’s camp quoted the affidavit as saying Tuason had coffee with Gigi in the presence of a “silent” Enrile.
“Enrile would join us [Tuason and Reyes], when we are almost done, for a cup of coffee..,” the news release quoted from Tuason’s affidavit.
“He did not stay long. After coffee, he would leave and sometimes he would come to pick up Atty. Gigi Reyes,” the statement quoted the affidavit further.
In the news release, Santiago also said Tuason’s statement was “sufficient to pin down Enrile, under the principle of conspiracy in criminal law.”
“…his mere presence is sufficient to convince the court to a moral certainty that he was the mastermind pulling the strings of Reyes, so that they could profit from the illicit scam,” Santiago added.
She also said Tuason’s statement proves Enrile’s guilt “to a moral certainty.”
“Human experience teaches that there was no reason for Enrile to be present, unless it was to assure Tuason that he approved of the illegal transaction, and that he authorized his chief of staff to act in his behalf,” Santiago said.
Santiago quoted the 1996 case of Pecho v. People of the Philippines, saying the law merely requires the accused to perform an overt act in pursuance of the conspiracy.
“Enrile should have said something against the transaction. If he disapproved, he should have remonstrated against his subordinate, and even slap her silly for dragging his name. But he did not, proving he is guilty by conspiracy,” Santiago said.
Meanwhile, Enrile’s public relations officer Lizette Nepomuceno told GMA News Online by phone on Saturday that Enrile had no comment on the matter.
Tuason, together with Enrile and two other senators, have been accused of plunder stemming from the pork barrel scam.
She returned from the US on Feb. 7 and indicated her intention to testify. She submitted to the National Bureau of Invetigation an affidavit even as she vowed to “tell all she knew” about the scandal. — Andrei Medina /LBG/RAF, GMA News
