Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales has asked the Supreme Court to create at least two special divisions of the Sandiganbayan to “exclusively try and conduct continuous trial” of the cases related to the alleged mulribillion-peso pork barrel fund scam.
The last time a special division of the anti-graft court was created was in 2001 when former President Joseph Estrada was indicted for plunder. Jinggoy Estrada was also an accused in the earlier plunder case involving proceeds from the illegal numbers game jueteng.
The news release said Morales’ letter to Sereno cited Section Five, Article Eight of the Philippine Constitution, which indicates that the Supreme Court has the power to “promulgate rules concerning x x x pleading, practice, and procedure in all courts.”
Napoles’ racket involved the diversion of billions of pesos worth of livelihood projects and farm inputs intended for poor farmers to her fake non-government organizations and ghost projects.
Under the scheme, lawmakers and government officials get kickbacks for allowing priority development assistance funds to be channeled to Napoles’ dubious NGOs.
Also charged with plunder and graft before the anti-graft court are Enrile’s former chief of staff Jessica “Gigi” Reyes, Estrada’s former employee Pauline Labayen and Revilla’s staff member Richard Cambe. Similarly indicted are Napoles’ nephew Ronald John Lim and John De Asis.
De Asis is an officer of at least one of Napoles’ dubious non-government organizations. -NB, GMA News
