Pimentel to file perjury, libel charges against Napoles, others

Sen. Koko Pimentel. Photo courtesy of Pimentel’s Facebook page.

MANILA -– Senator Aquilino Pimentel III is bent on filing perjury and libel charges against controversial Janet Lim Napoles and other individuals who linked him in the alleged P10-billion priority development assistance fund (PDAF) scam.

”I’m meeting with my lawyer this afternoon. We will file perjury as well as libel cases against Napoles and other people who deemed responsible for the damage to my reputation,” Pimentel said in Senate media interview on Tuesday.

Aside from Napoles, Pimentel said a libel case might be filed against some media entities.

Last Monday, Senate blue ribbon committee chairman Teofisto Guingona III released to the media Napoles’ sworn affidavits where she named 20 former and current senators, including Pimentel and his father, former senator Aquilino ‘Nene’ Pimentel Jr.

Pimentel admitted he met with Napoles in a restaurant in the Makati Shangri-La Hotel where Napoles asked for ‘projects’ but “I refused her request outright.”

”And an examination of my identified PDAF projects would show that not a single centavo has been given to a project which is for implementation by any NGO, whether Napoles-controlled or not,” Pimentel said

Pimentel also said his estranged wife Jewel has denied receiving money from Louie Cruz in exchange for PDAF projects.

Pimentel believes that somebody advised and helped Napoles in issuing her affidavit which he said was part of “grand deception.”

”This disqualifies her (Napoles) as state witness specially her allegations cannot be corroborated by evidence,” Pimentel, a lawyer, said.

Pimentel said Napoles is not qualified to be a state witness because “one of the requirements of being a state witness is, thou shall not lie.”

”Her application for state witness should be denied. Her special detention should be removed. She has to pay the price (for lying),” Pimentel said.

He believed the inclusion of his and his father’s name in the affidavit was part of strategy by Napoles’ lawyers to muddle and delay the investigation.

In defense of his father, Pimentel said the former senator “never authorized anybody to deal with PDAF.”

”No PDAF was released to my father. That’s in 2003 because he was in the opposition,” the young Pimentel said.