14 Apr Janet Napoles and Masbate Governor Rizalina Lanete Granted Bail
Janet Lim-Napoles and Masbate Governor Rizalina Seachon-Lanete’s plunder case has been set bail and approved by the Fourth Division of the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan, a case that is connected to their affirmed engagement in the pork barrel scam.
The bail that has been set by the court for both Napoles and Lanete is at 500,000 PhP.
The complete published ruling by the Fourth Division on April 12 is set to be released to the media.
Here’s a shared segment of the ruling. “Wherefore, considering that there is a finding that the evidence of guilt of accused Lanete and accused Napoles is not strong for the reasons cited above, the respective applications for bail of accused Lanete and Napoles are hereby granted,”
Napoles and Lanete’s bail petition for the plunder case stands on hearing by the Fourth Division since May last year. On February 2015, a sum of 108.4 million kickbacks has been collected by Lanete by designating her Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) to non-existing organizations professedly owned by Napoles, the stated leader of the pork barrel scam.
Last year, Napoles has been convicted by the Makati Regional Trial Court of reclusion perpetua for an illegal detention case filed by the primary witness in the pork barrel cases, Benhur Luy, Napoles’ second cousin.
The Fourth Division has officially ended the bail and requested both the prosecution and the defense to present their separate memorandum, February this year. On April 11, Napoles and Lanete’s appeals were successfully submitted for analysis.
Preceding the decision of the Fourth Division, the Sandiganbayan First Division and Fifth Division both rejected Napoles’ appeal for a bail in her plunder case together with co-accused Senator Jinggoy Estrada and Senator Ramon Bong Revilla Jr.
This approval by the Sandiganbayan Fourth Division is the first occurrence that any pork barrel related case has been given a bail.
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