THE US Justice Department on Tuesday, July 14, moved to seize $12.5 million (about P565 million) in assets belonging to Filipina businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles, who has allegedly embezzled millions from bribery and kickback schemes.
A report on the FBI website states that state prosecutors filed a civil forfeiture complaint to recover assets that Napoles allegedly derived from pork scams in the Philippines. Among properties the Justice Department is looking to gain control of include a luxury condominium in Los Angeles, a motel near Disneyland and a Porsche. The last of these was purchased for a daughter, allegedly with funds meant for development and disaster relief.
The complaint, filed in the Los Angeles Federal District Court, stated that Napoles bribed politicians in the Philippines with tens of millions of dollars from 2004 to 2012 to obtain $200 million in government-awarded funds that were meant to aid poor Filipinos.
“Over nearly a decade, Janet Napoles allegedly stole millions of dollars in funds entrusted to her for development assistance and disaster relief for the people of the Philippines,” said Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell. “In an effort to disguise and enjoy her ill-gotten gains, Napoles purchased properties and other assets in the United States for herself and her family members, including a condominium at the Ritz and a Porsche. The Justice Department will not allow the United States to become a playground for the corrupt or a place to hide and invest stolen riches.”
The Department said Napoles transferred $12 million to US accounts under the names of—or controlled by—her family, which she used to purchase the condominium and other properties.
Stephen David, Napoles’ lawyer, denied that his client owned all the properties. He said Napoles only owned a condominium and said its worth did not exceed $12 million.
Napoles, is already in jail in the Philippines for kidnapping her cousin, Benhur Luy, a whistleblower and her former aide. Napoles has been charged in the Priority Development Assistance Fund scam or pork-barrel scam. Two of her children and a number of officials have also been charged in the case.
Luy provided prosecutors a list of more than 100 people involved in the scandal, which led to the arrest of Sens. Jose Estrada, Juan Ponce Enrile and Ramon “Bong” Revilla.”
Napoles faces five counts of plunder, 74 counts of graft and 14 counts of malversation before the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court, Rappler reported.
She has pleaded not guilty to the corruption case.
Jeane, Napoles’ youngest daughter, is also facing a P17.8 million tax evasion case. (With reports from Agence-France Presse, CNN, Rappler and United Press International)
