Former Senate President and Current Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile, his former Chief of Staff Jessica “Gigi” Reyes, and businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles were absolved of plunder charges over the misuse of the pork barrel fund scam on Friday, October 4.
The three appeared before the Sandiganbayan Third Division for the promulgation at 8:00 AM on Friday. According to the anti-graft court, the three were found not guilty of plunder, due to the prosecution’s failure to prove their guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
The decision was finalized 10 years after it was filed before the Sandiganbayan.
The case first ensued in 2013, after the Php172 million Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) from Enrile was used on Napoles’ bogus non-government organizations (NGOs). In June 2014, Ombudsman Conchita Morales found sufficient evidence to file plunder and graft charges against Enrile, Reyes, and Napoles.
It was believed that Napoles was the mastermind behind the misuse of the funds, citing the documents and bank accounts linked under her name; dubbing Napoles as the pork barrel scam queen.
Although acquitted of the plunder charges, Napoles will remain incarcerated because of two other charges against her; one over the misuse of Senator Ramon Revilla Jr.’s pork barrel fund.
Charges against Revilla and Sen. Jinggoy Estrada were also filed over the pork barrel scam but the two were eventually acquitted.
