Napoles files libel charges versus Rappler reporter, 6 others

Janet Lim-Napoles, before she went on the run for allegedly masterminding the multi-billion-peso pork barrel scam, filed libel charges against a Rappler reporter and 6 others. Specifically, the fugitive is suing Rappler’s Natashya Gutierrez for reporting on the luxury condominium that Napoles’ newly graduated daughter Jeane owns at the Ritz-Carlton in Los Angeles. Rappler reported on the property after various sectors raised doubts on the legitimacy of the Napoles family’s wealth, and after Jeane’s blogs about her luxurious lifefstyle were discovered. According to a report by the press watchdog Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR), Napoles is asking Gutierrez for P10 million (or around $255,000) in damages and attorney’s fees. The case against Gutierrez was filed on August 6 at the Taguig City Prosecutor’s Office, according to CMFR. Gutierrez has yet to receive a copy of the complaint.

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