The legal counsel for the whistleblowers in the P10-billion pork barrel fund scam is not in favor of turning actor Matt Ranillo III into a state witness, saying it is unlikely that the actor had personal transactions with the senators implicated in the scam.
“Ang pupuwede sa kanya ay isang ordinary witness. Ang tingin ko kay Mr. Matt Ranillo ay hindi niya kayang i-divulge yung mga naging transactions niya involving legislators implicated,” lawyer Levito Baligod said in an interview on GMA News “24 Oras” aired Thursday evening.
Baligod added waiting for Ranillo’s affidavit on the scam might only hamper the investigation of the Office of the Ombudsman.
Among the respondents are Senators Jinggoy Estrada, Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. and Juan Ponce Enrile. Detained businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles and Ruby Tuason, the latest whistleblower, are also respondents in the complaints.
Last week, at a Senate blue ribbon committee hearing on the scam, principal whistleblower Benhur Luy said Ranillo signed vouchers to show that pork barrel kickbacks had been received by Estrada and his mother, former First Lady Loi Estrada.
