Miriam wants Senate ‘pork’ probe to continue for Gigi Reyes testimony

 News
Apr 202014
 
Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago on Monday asked the Senate blue ribbon committee to continue its probe on the alleged pork barrel scam to hear the testimony of Jessica “Gigi” Reyes, former chief of staff of Senate now Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile.

In a letter, Santiago asked Senate blue ribbon chairman Teofisto Guingona III to invite or even summon Reyes, who returned to the Philippines from the United States last Saturday. 

Santiago added that the Senate committee can still continue its probe on the alleged anomaly, although Guingona already released a draft panel report recommending plunder charges against certain personalities, including Enrile and Reyes, earlier this month. 

“I believe that the testimony of Atty. Reyes would serve to round off and clarify certain aspects of the partial report, and that the committee findings could be the proper subject of an addendum or similar subsequent report on Atty. Reyes’s testimony,” Santiago said in her letter.

GMA News Online sent a text message to Guingona to ask for his reaction to Santiago’s letter, but he has yet to respond as of posting time.

Last April 1, the Office of the Ombudsman also recommended plunder charges against Enrile and Reyes for allegedly pocketing pork barrel funds from a scam supposedly engineered by detained businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles.

Reyes is being accused of receiving pork barrel kickbacks for Enrile, and signing documents for the release of these discretionary funds on the senators’ behalf. She has denied these accusations in documents submitted to the Ombudsman.

Also being implicated in the alleged anomaly are Senators Ramon Bong Revilla Jr., Jinggoy Estrada, and several former members of the House of Representatives and heads of implementing agencies which supposedly served as conduits to funnel public funds to Napoles-linked foundations.

Santiago, Enrile’s staunch critic, earlier urged Reyes to “turn the tables” on her former boss by applying as state witness. 

Last month, Enrile’s wife, Cristina, confirmed that Reyes had an affair with her husband — an information that Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said could bolster the case against the senator. Enrile denied his wife’s statements. 

In January last year, Reyes resigned as Enrile’s chief of staff amid accusations she had personally wielded power over Senate matters on behalf of Enrile, who was then the Senate President. — RSJ, GMA News

Gigi Reyes' return helps afford her due process  – Palace exec

 News
Apr 192014
 
Gigi Reyes' return helps afford her due process  - Palace exec

Ex-Enrile aide Gigi Reyes comes home. Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile’s former chief of staff Gigi Reyes arrives in Manila from the US early Saturday, April 19, 2014. Reyes is among those charged with plunder for the PDAF scam. Reina Anne Dimapawi A Malacañang official on Saturday said the return from the US of Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile’s former chief of staff Jessica “Gigi” Reyes helps afford her “due process.” “[Her return] will afford her the opportunity for the full application of her right to due process,” Malacañang spokesman Edwin Lacierda said. Reyes, a key personality in the multibillion-peso pork barrel scam and one of several people charged with plunder because of it, arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 via PR-105 from San Francisco, GMA News reported. “I’m facing the charges. I’ve always faced it,” Reyes quoted as saying upon her arrival. On April 7, Reyes’ representatives asked the Office of the Ombudsman to reconsider its decision to file plunder charges against her over the alleged P10-billion por barrel scam. Reyes claimed her constitutional right to due process was violated, and denied receiving any commission from Enrile’s Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), popularly known as pork barrel. Last April 1, the Ombudsman found probable cause to indict Reyes, Senators Enrile, Ramon Revilla Jr. and Jinggoy Estrada, as well as alleged scam operator Janet Lim-Napoles, with plunder. The National Bureau of Investigation had alleged that Reyes had signed documents related to the release of Enrile’s pork barrel funds to Read More …

Pork scam suspect and former Enrile aide Gigi Reyes back in the PHL

 News
Apr 182014
 
Pork scam suspect and former Enrile aide Gigi Reyes back in the PHL

Seen as a key personality in the multibillion-peso pork barrel scam and charged with plunder because of it, Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile’s former chief of staff, Jessica “Gigi” Reyes, returned to the Philippines early Saturday. Reyes landed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 via PR-104 from San Francisco, GMA News reported. “I’m facing the charges. I’ve always faced it,” Reyes was reported to have said when she arrived.  Earlier this month, Reyes’ representatives had asked the Ombudsman to reconsider its decision to file plunder charges against her over the P10-billion scam. Reyes claimed her constitutional right to due process was violated, and denied receiving any commission from Enrile’s Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), the infamous pork barrel. Reyes resigned as Enrile’s chief of staff last January, amid accusations she had personally wielded power over Senate matters on behalf of Enrile, who was then the Senate President. Enrile is among the three senators charged with plunder over the pork scam. — Joel Locsin/DVM, GMA News

Miriam: Enrile's presence in Tuason-Gigi Reyes meeting enough to prove conspiracy

 News
Feb 152014
 
Miriam: Enrile's presence in Tuason-Gigi Reyes meeting enough to prove conspiracy

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 Read More …

Enrile: Gigi Reyes not authorized to discuss ‘pork’ with Ruby Tuason

 News
Feb 102014
 
Enrile: Gigi Reyes not authorized to discuss ‘pork’ with Ruby Tuason

Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile on Monday denied authorizing his former chief-of-staff, Jessica “Gigi” Gonzales Reyes, to discuss pork barrel transactions with potential state witness Ruby Tuason on his behalf. In an interview, Enrile maintained that he never received government funds from Tuason through Reyes. “Pork barrel funds? Walang ibinibigay sa akin na pork barrel funds. Kickback? I don’t know. I do not live with Mrs Reyes. I do not live in her house,” the senator told reporters. He added that he is confident Reyes will not further implicate him in the alleged anomaly. He said as far as he knows, his former chief-of-staff never received kickbacks from pork barrel transactions. “What will she [Reyes] say? I have faith in her honesty and integrity… There has never been any occasion when she violated that degree of rectitude expected of a public servant,” Enrile said. Ruby Tuason Last Friday, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said that Tuason, through an affidavit, admitted to personally delivering pork barrel kickbacks to Enrile, through Reyes, and to Senator Jinggoy Estrada. De Lima also said that Tuason even recalled an incident when Enrile dropped by at a coffee meeting between her and Reyes. Reyes resigned last January as Enrile’s chief-of-staff at the height of accusations that she had power over Senate matters and authority to sign on behalf of her boss. She left the country last August at the height of the pork barrel scandal. Last September, Reyes posted a statement on her Facebook page Read More …