Tumangging magkomento ang Malacañang kung karapat-dapat bang maging state witness ang sinasabing utak ng “pork barrel” fund scam na si Janet Lim-Napoles sa muling pagsisiyasat sa nasabing kaso, at ipinaubaya na ang usapin sa Department of Justice (DoJ).
Ito ay kasunod ng pahayag ni Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales na haharangin niya ang plano na gawing state witness si Napoles, dahil ito, aniya, ang lumalabas na most guilty sa lahat ng personalidad na sangkot sa Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam.
Sinabi ni Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella na inirerespeto niya ang opinyon ni Morales ngunit tiwala siya na maayos na mapagdedesisyunan ni Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II ang usapin.
“These are two separate branches of government so the Ombudsman is quite free to express her opinions regarding the matter. But, however, I do trust that the DoJ Secretary will be able to do what he says he will do,” sinabi ni Abella sa panayam sa kanya ng CNN Philippines.
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Sinabi rin ni Abella na hindi niya alam kung ano ang gustong gawin ni Pangulong Duterte sa kaso.
“I don’t know exactly what he (Duterte) wants on this case because he hasn’t verbalized it. He hasn’t verbalized anything on the matter. I defer to his decision,” ani Abella. “I would not say [that the government will] support [the move to make Napoles a state witness] but I would say I would defer to him.”
Iginiit naman kahapon ni Aguirre, bilang tugon sa pahayag ni Ombudsman Morales, na nasa kagawaran ang kapangyarihang isailalim si Napoles sa Witness Protection Program (WPP).
“It is the right of anybody to do anything as long as it is not against the law,” saad sa pahayag ni Aguirre. “But since the DoJ has the inclusive right to put a witness under the Witness Protection Program, we will exercise it if need be.” (Argyll Cyrus B. Geducos at Jeffrey G. Damicog)
