The Supreme Court has rejected the bid of alleged mastermind and pork barrel queen Janet Lim Napoles for a humanitarian release.
Napoles cited a circular for indigent prisoners saying this could be also applied to her.
Napoles was the alleged mastermind of the pork barrel scam that diverted billions of pesos to her non-existing NGOSs.
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She was convicted and found guilty by the Sandiganbayan in 2019 for plunder.
The Supreme Court rejected Napoles’ Urgent Motion for Recognizance/Bail or House Arrest for Humanitarian Reason saying she was not able to provide compelling evidence for her temporary release.
The court said that Napoles has no longer forfeited her right for a bail since she was already convicted of plunder.
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“Be it noted, that the Constitutional and statutory requisites for the grant of bail are neither suspended nor supplanted by the existence of a pandemic… For these reasons, [Napoles’] Urgent Motion for Recognizance/Bail or House Arrest for Humanitarian Reason due to COVID-19, is denied,” the court said.
The SC also said that the circular for indigent convicts cannot be applied for those who were found guilty of capital offenses like plunder.
“Here, Napoles never claimed that she was indigent. Moreover, she was convicted of an offense punishable by reclusion perpetua. Clearly, Republic Act 10389, does not apply to her,” it added. (TDT)
