Napoles: Officials used me as a scapegoat

Janet Lim-Napoles escorted by the authorities. PNP photo

MANILA — In a sudden turn of events, Janet Lim-Napoles — the alleged mastermind of the pork barrel scam — appealed to the Office of the Ombudsman, the Department of Justice, and even to the Filipino people to stop blaming her.

Napoles said she is not ‘the most guilty’ and that the officials involved in the controversy are only using her as a ‘scapegoat.’

“They just want to end the issue with me and make me a scapegoat of those involved. This is not the truth because my role in this system is just small. The pork barrel scam will continue if the truth is not revealed, and the wrong is not corrected. And I wish to help to fulfill this.”

Napoles said the lawmakers in her list have the biggest responsibility for the controversial P10-billion Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam.

“The lawmakers themselves or their agents approached me about using their funds for projects. They were also the ones saying how much their rebate will be, and if we don’t agree, there are many others they can pass on the funds and project to besides me,” Napoles said.

It was, however, earlier reported that senators who disagreed to this statement insisted on accusing Napoles as the “architect and engineer” and “brains” behind the scam.

Emphasizing that she is not the mastermind of the scam, Napoles said that it was painful for her to be labelled “the pork barrel queen and mastermind,” “most guilty,” and the “center of controversy.”

“I am not capable to do such a complicated scheme to be the mastermind of all these.”

“It was the lawmakers who controlled their funds and the implementing agencies that processed the papers and inspected [projects] before paying for all the transactions,” Napoles added passing the blame on lawmakers.

Napoles said it was impossible for her to be the mastermind of the scam, saying that the misuse of the lawmakers’ pork barrel started since the 1990s when it was still called Countrywide Development Fund.

But this was not the truth for the whistleblowers.

“There is no other mastermind. She is the mastermind because she was my boss,” Benhur Luy, a whistleblower in the scam told the senate last year, contradicting Napoles’ statements.

Despite these allegations against her, Napoles made a statement to the people in what seems to be a public apology expressed in the two affidavits submitted by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima to the Senate on Monday.

“Nais ko pong ipaalam sa lahat ang aking pagsisisi at paghingi ng tawad – una sa Diyos at pangalawa sa sambayanang Pilipino na naapektuhan nito. Hindi ko rin akalain na ako ay halos itakwil o itatwa ng mga matataas na opisyal ng pamahalaan na gumagamit sa akin at ang ilan sa kanila ay ipinagkaila na kilala ako,” Napoles said.

(I want everyone to know my remorse and request for forgiveness – first from the Lord and second from the Filipino peopleaffected by this scam. I did not expect that those in high offices in government will betray me after using me, and some of them even deny knowing me.)

With reports from Ayee Macaraig