Janet Napoles deflects Senators questions

Senators struggled to extract information from Janet Lim Napoles Thursday, as the woman who stole an estimated 2.1B in pork barrel funds through bogus non-governmental organizations (NGOs) faced a Senate inquiry. “I don’t know”, “I have no idea what the whistleblower is talking about”, and “I invoke my right against self-incrimination” became a familiar refrain as the day wore on. At times feisty, other times disengaged, Napoles denies every accusation thrown her way.

The biggest denial: she is the mastermind of the scam that convinced lawmakers to channel their pork barrel to her fake NGOs in exchange for hefty kickbacks. She says at one point, “If there was such a kickback like you say, do you think a lawmaker or chief of staff would sign a voucher? That’s a lie. There’s no voucher and there is no exchange of money.” A former employee immediately refuted her statement, saying Napoles ordered the shredding of vouchers that documented their receipt of commissions. She admitted owning the luxurious Ritz-Carlton apartment in downtown Los Angeles but insisted the money came from her husband’s coal business in Indonesia. When Senator TG Guingona asked to describe her wealth, she floored the gallery with a massive understatement. “Just right.”

Here are some links related to the story:

Napoles Deflects Senators’ Questions

Napoles: I’m not wealthy, ‘just right’

Napoles: I pity senators; Luy: She’s lying

Senate probe: ‘Napoles shredded evidence’