MANILA – The Sandiganbayan has formally dismissed all the three appeals that alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles filed for her to be placed under the witness protection program (WPP) of the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Sandiganbayan’s Third Division on Friday followed the earlier resolutions of its First and Fifth Divisions junking Napoles’ urgent motion for transfer.
It cited in its resolution the same law that “negated [Naploes’] entitlement to become a state witness.”
Napoles said she is provisionally admitted in the WPP, which entitles her to be transferred to a secure housing facility as mandated under Republic Act (RA) 6981, or the Witness Protection, Security and Benefit Act.
But the Sandiganbayan ruled that the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of RA 6981 make Napoles’ arguments “bereft of merit.”
Section 1 of the IRR states that no person under detention can be placed under the WPP.
“Accused Napoles is under detention for a lawful cause. She is charged with plunder which is a non-bailable offense,” Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang wrote in her verdict.
Part of the verdict read, “After it found probable cause, the court issued a warrant of arrest and a commitment order placing accused Napoles under the custody of the (Bureau of Jail Management and Penology) in Camp Bagong Diwa, Bicutan, Taguig City.”
Napoles will remain in detention at Camp Bagong Diwa unless she is acquitted on all her cases, including five counts of plunder, across six out of its seven divisions./PN
