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MANILA, Philiipines – Senator Antonio Trillanes IV said Sunday, Sept 22, that Gigi Reyes, the controversial former chief of staff of Sen Juan Ponce Enrile, could be made a state witness in relation with the on-going probe into the multi-billion-peso pork barrel scam.
In a text message to Rappler, Trillanes said Reyes “dealt with Napoles directly so she has personal knowledge of the transactions. At the same time, she’s the least guilty compared to the principals.”
Trillanes is a vocal Enrile critic after the two clashed over backchannel talks with China and the division of Camarines Sur last year.
Reyes was among the 38 individuals charged before the Ombudsman for allegedly channeling government funds to bogus non-government organizations (NGOs).
Reyes was reported to have signed endorsement letters — as Enrile’s authorized representative — for NGOs linked to Janet Napoles, the woman tagged as the brains behind the pork barrel scam. But Enrile’s camp denied this.
Reyes irrevocably resigned as Enrile’s chief of staff in January due to a different scandal: the P600,000 Christmas cash gift given by Enrile to some of his allies in the Senate.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima has reported that Reyes flew to Macau on August 31. De Lima said Bureau of Immigration records show that Reyes’ return ticket was for September 3, but there is no record of her return. – with reports from Ayee Macaraig/Rappler.com
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