MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Alleged pork barrel scam queen Janet Napoles has been found guilty of serious illegal detention and was sentenced to life imprisonment or at least 30 years in jail.
The Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 150 convicted Napoles for detaining her cousin and former employee Benhur Luy for three months.
Judge Elmo Alameda also ordered Napoles to pay P50,000 in moral damages and another P50,000 in civil damages.
Luy charged Napoles in court after he was allegedly detained by Napoles, who found out that he obtained a P5.5-million loan using her name without her permission.
Luy’s camp, however, told the court that he was taken against his will so that he will not be able to come out and reveal the alleged anomalous transactions of Napoles.
Luy is the whistleblower in the pork barrel scam that involved the bogus NGOs of Napoles.
Napoles is a Philippine businesswoman who is believed to have masterminded the Priority Development Assistance Fund Scam, also known as Pork Barrel Scam. – BusinessNewsAsia.com