ANOTHER CONVICTION: Napoles gets 14 years for money laundering

National

YEARS after the pork barrel scandal rocked the nation, Janet Lim Napoles faces another conviction.

The Pasig Regional Trial Court Branch 158 found her guilty on 13 counts of money laundering.

The court handed down the ruling on Wednesday, Oct. 1, sentencing Napoles to seven to 14 years in prison for each count. She was also ordered to pay fines totaling ₱94.15 million for channeling lawmakers’ priority development assistance fund, commonly known as pork barrel, through fraudulent means, the Anti-Money Laundering Council reported on Thursday.

“This sends a strong message: those who abuse public funds will be held accountable,” AMLC Executive Director Matthew David said in an Inquirer article.

He also highlighted that the ruling demonstrates the council’s continued efforts to pursue individuals who exploit the financial system to conceal corruption.

The conviction marks the AMLC’s second win against Napoles, following a 2024 ruling from the Manila RTC Branch 24.

The Pasig court found that she orchestrated a scheme involving fake nongovernment organizations that received pork barrel funds for ghost projects. The scam, first exposed in a 2013 investigative series by the Inquirer, allegedly involved the diversion of billions in PDAF from 2004 to 2012 through collusion with certain lawmakers.

Napoles has also been convicted of plunder in relation to these schemes.

By making it appear that the funds originated from legitimate sources, Napoles concealed their criminal origin, a move that fulfilled the criteria for money laundering under the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2001, the AMLC said.

The conviction comes as the AMLC intensifies its probe into financial crimes tied to government-funded flood control projects, a controversy drawing comparisons to the pork barrel scandal.

Public outrage escalated in September after congressional hearings presented photos of cash-stuffed bundles allegedly used as kickbacks to legislators, sparking mass protests on September 21.

This week, the AMLC issued its third and broadest freeze order in the ongoing investigation, immobilizing 1,813 assets valued at ₱2.9 billion. The freeze covers 1,563 bank accounts, 154 vehicles, 30 properties, 54 insurance policies, and 12 e-wallets, and officials indicated the total could rise as the investigation progresses.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said the AMLC is also preparing to block the assets of six individuals, including some lawmakers, who are being investigated by the National Bureau of Investigation for allegedly anomalous flood control projects.(MyTVCebu)