Janet Lim Napoles, wearing a bullet proof vest, listens as her lawyer Howard Areza whispers to her while Napoles attended a public inquiry at the Senate in Manila that was held last year. Latest reports said she implicated more lawmakers and officials as apparently involved in the scam.
MANILA (Mabuhay) – The Sandiganbayan security guard accused of soliciting money from the lawyer of alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles has denied the allegation, saying it came from individuals with sinister intentions.
“Isa lang po ang masasabi ko sa alegasyon. Hindi po ako ang nagsolicit ng pera sa sinasabi ninyong abogado. At wala po akong tinatanggap na pera buhat sa kanya, dahil hindi ko naman po sila kilala,” Roland Allan Gole Cruz said in his four-page sworn statement dated December 15, 2014.
In his statement submitted to Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang Gole Cruz said all the allegations against him were baseless.
“Sinong Security Personnel po ang nagsabi na ako ay nagsolicit? Si Rosita Domingo. Nasa fourth floor po ako naka duty, siya ay sa backdoor. Paano nilang nasasabi na ako ay nagsolicit at tumanggap ng pera? Wala pong abugado na nagbibigay sa akin ng pera, puro tsismis lang po lahat ito at walang konkretong katibayan. Hindi ko rin po kilala ang camera man na idinawit nila sa mga imbento at gawa gawang report,” he said.
Early in December, Cabotaje-Tang received a letter detailing the supposed actions of Gole Cruz.
According to the letter written by two other security guards at the Sandiganbayan, Gole Cruz solicited P20,000 from lawyer Stephen David, supposedly for a Christmas party. However, there was no scheduled Christmas party for the anti-graft court’s security division.
Gole Cruz is being investigated and his shift has been changed, court sources said.
Citing his clean record, Gole Cruz appealed to Cabotaje-Tang not to let the word of his co-employees to be used in condemning him.
“Matagal na po akong empleyado ng Sandiganbayan. Wala po akong nagawang ganitong issue o kaso na ako ay nagsolicit o nanghingi sa mga abugado para sa aking personal na pangangailangan. Hindi ko po dudungisan ang aking pangalan dahil lang sa kakarampot na pera. Ako po ay sumusunod sa patakaran ng institusyong ito kaya po ako nagtagal ng 12 taon sa Sandiganbayan. Sana po ay huwag ninyo akong husgahan,” he said.
Meanwhile, in the same statement, Gole Cruz theorized that those who wrote the report against him may have darker intentions.
“Baka sila po ang nagsolicit ng sobre, hindi lang nakarating sa kanila kaya nagpuputok ang butse ng mga iyan. Puro tahi tahi at imbento na lang po ito, para lang lumaki pina media pa nila. Lahat po ng sinasabi nitong si Rosita Domingo ay puro kasinungalingan at pawang walang katotohanan lamang,” he said.
The Supreme Court has suspended Gole Cruz pending results of the investigation. (MNS)