(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte defended on Monday the Office of the Solicitor General’s move to recommend the dismissal of the serious illegal detention case filed against Janet Lim Napoles, but stopped short of naming her a state witness to prosecute others allegedly involved in the P10-billion pork barrel scam.
“Totoo naman. The circumstances would show. (Benhur Luy) was not restrained at all. If you ever followed the story, the solicitor general is right. He could get in and out. Ilang beses nagbisita media sa kanya, di naman siya umiyak,” Duterte said.
The President, a former prosecutor, said if he were in the OSG’s shoes, he would also “move for the dismissal of the (serious illegal detention) case.”
The job of a prosecutor, after all, he said, was “not…to persecute” but to “prosecute rightly.”
“Simple justice lang yan,” he said.
Asked if he would also move for the dismissal of the cases Napoles is facing in connection with her alleged role in the pork barrel scam, Duterte said: “Ahh, no. Not (that).”
“I don’t know (about her becoming state witness) because (for that) you must appear to be the least responsible. if you’re the most responsible there..how can you?” Duterte said.
He noted that “criminal action must proceed against all those who are responsible.”
“That’s the principle there,” he said.
Napoles has been accused of masterminding the channeling of around P10 billion in Priority Development Assistance Funds to ghost projects for more than 10 years.
Three senators–Jinggoy Estrada, Bong Revilla, and Juan Ponce Enrile— have been sent to jail in connection with this.
In 2015, Napoles was sentenced to reclusion perpetua for allegedly illegally detaining Luy, her finance officer, for months.