US files forfeiture case against Napoles, seeks to seize $12.5-M assets

Napoles’ mug shot in Camp Crame August 29, 2013, as released by the Philippine National Police.
(Photo by Ali Vicoy)

MANILA – The US Department of Justice filed a civil forfeiture case against alleged multibillion pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles at the Los Angeles Federal District Court, seeking to seize her $12.5-million worth of assets.

“The case is pending, and we are helping them in that civil case through the MLAT (Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty),” Philippine Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said.

“The US case will complement and bolster our cases, both the civil case for forfeiture before the RTC and the plunder/graft cases before the Sandiganbayan,” she added.

Napoles’ assets being sought included a condominium at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Los Angeles, a motel near Disneyland and a Porsche Boxter. All these were purportedly purchased by money from the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of multiple senators, including Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon Revilla Jr.

Napoles used several bogus non-government organizations (NGOs) and foundations and bribed the senators to fund them using their PDAF allotments.  The lawmakers, for their part, received tens of millions of commissions from the non-existent projects which Napoles’ organizations were supposed to deliver but failed to do so.

The PDAF funds were intended for programs and projects that would help poor Filipinos, especially farmers. Napoles and the senators, however, used them instead for personal gains.

“The [US] justice department will not allow the United States to become a playground for the corrupt or a place to hide and invest stolen riches,” Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell said.

After preliminary investigations, the US justice department found out that Napoles’ US bank accounts were hidden under the names of different family members. Napoles, however, had control over these accounts and used the money to buy properties.

Meanwhile, Napoles had been convicted of serious illegal detention of former employee and now state witness Benhur Luy. While plunder and forfeiture cases were still under court proceedings, Napoles remained detained at the Women’s Correctional in Mandaluyong City.

Senators Enrile, Estrada and Revilla were also detained at Camp Crame.

Napoles’ recovered assets to be turned over to PH

Should the US forfeiture case receive a favorable ruling, De Lima disclosed that the Philippine government would request for control over the stolen money.

“It is possible they (US authorities) will turn over the entire proceeds [from Napoles’ assets] to us,” De Lima said.

It can be recalled that US Ambassador Philip Goldberg earlier turned over more than $1.384 million from the forfeited assets of Armed Forces comptroller Carlos Garcia to the Philippine government.

Aside from Napoles’ accounts and properties in the US, she also had bank accounts and condominium units in Manila and Pasig City. All have been put under freeze order.