Luy’s hard disk on Napoles transaction accepted by Sandiganbayan as pre-marked evidence

Pork barrel scam whistleblower Benhur Luy. Screenshot from InterAksyon/TV5 footage

MANILA — The Sandiganbayan on Thursday accepted the hard disk of whistleblower Benhur Luy as pre-mark evidence which contained the supposed transactions of alleged pork barrel scam architect Janet Lim Napoles.

During the continuation of the bail hearing for detained Senator Ramon Revilla Jr., the prosecution team has presented the hard drive containing the so-called “Benhur Luy Files” before the Sandiganbayan first division that reportedly has the financial transaction of Napoles’ non-government organization JLN Corporation with the accused lawmakers using their Priority Development Assistance Funds (PDAF).

Luy said in the court that the hard disk also contained the daily transaction of JLN Corporation as well as the financial ledger he used to record when he is still working for Napoles.

The primary witness in the pork barrel scam noted he transferred all his files from his old desktop computer to his new Apple Mac computer and also made another back-up file to it.

Napoles’ legal counsel Stephen David argued during the hearing that the anti-graft court should not allow the presented evidence to be pre-marked, claiming that the hard drive owned by Luy “was not earlier included” in the list submitted by the prosecution.

“I’m confused why the court allowed [the pre-marking] it,” David said during the hearing.

Revilla’s lawyer Joel Bodegon also objected with the pre-marking of Luy’s hard drive since it was presented outside the period of alleged transactions which was noted in the case.

Justice Undersecretary Jose Justiniano, one of the newest member of the prosecution panel after being tapped by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales last week, said that they also want the printouts of daily transactions as well as the financial ledger to be pre-marked by the court which was also brought by Luy.