THE Sandiganbayan has admitted into trial all the evidence presented by the prosecution in corruption charges against businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles and former top executives of the Technology Resource Center (TRC) in relation to the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel fund scam.
In a resolution promulgated July 11, 2024, the anti-graft court’s Seventh Division overruled objections raised by defendants former TRC deputy director general Dennis Cunanan, Technology and Information Dissemination Group manager Maria Rosalinda Lacsamana, and private defendant Evelyn de Leon, a former employee of Napoles.
The cases involve alleged irregularities in TRC’s transfer of sums amounting to P2.3 million from the PDAF allocations of former Citizens Battle Against Corruption (CIBAC) party list congressman (now Senator) Joel Villanueva to the Masaganang Ani para sa Magsasaka Foundation Inc. (MAMFI) a bogus foundation created by Napoles in 2008.
Prosecutors said the supposed assistance to farmers under the lawmaker’s project did not materialize.
Villanueva was not among the defendants indicted by the Office of the Ombudsman on the basis of lack of probable cause.
Among the documents admitted by the court were the sworn statement of whistleblower Merlina P. Suñas, MAMFI’s incorporation documents, the supposed list of recipient farmers for the CIBAC agricultural packages, COA reports and support documents, documents on PDAF releases from the Department of Budget and Management, and documents from the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Napoles, who was already convicted of plunder in a separate PDAF case against Sen. Ramon Bong Revilla Jr., did not remark on the prosecution’s evidence.
“It must be noted that accused Janet Napoles did not file any comment or opposition to the prosecution’s Formal Offer of Documentary Evidence despite sufficient time given her to do so,” the court noted.
Likewise allowed admission were the photocopy of the papers from the Department of Agriculture — Fertilizer and Pesticides Authority (DA-FPA) whose existence was already admitted by the defense, as well as a colored printout of a JLN check disbursement dated April 25, 2008 which was identified by prosecution star witness Benhur Luy.
“With the above ruling of the court admitting all the documentary evidence formally offered and excluding none, the prosecution is deemed to have rested its case,” the Sandiganbayan said.
The court reminded all parties that the evidentiary or probative value of the documentary exhibits are still subject to the appreciation of the justices in the final disposition of the cases.
Associate Justice Georgina D. Hidalgo penned the resolution with concurrences from Associate Justices Ma. Theresa Dolores C. Gomez-Estoesta and Zaldy V. Trespeses.
