From the Website DOJ Department of Justice
links: http://www.doj.gov.ph/news.html?title=DOJ%20APPROVES%20NBI%20ASSIGNMENT%20OF%20AREAS&newsid=127
DOJ requests extension of time to comply with Subpoena: Senator Guingona denies request with respect to Napoles list
In a letter dated 14 May 2014, Secretary of Justice LEILA M. DE LIMA
requested a one week extension within which to comply with the Subpoena
issued by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, which directed the
Department of Justice to submit the Napoles List/Affidavit on the 'PDAF
Scam' on or before 15 May 2014.
The request was made in order
to await the completion and submission of the comprehensive Affidavit of
JANET LIM NAPOLES, which the DOJ expects to contain her narration of
facts pertaining to all those named in the signed list from Mrs.
Napoles. This came after it was made known to the DOJ that, despite
efforts of Napoles and her counsel to work overtime at the Ospital ng
Makati (where Napoles is convalescing after a major surgery), they would
need more time to complete and submit such Affidavit, presumably due to
the breadth and scope of her narration. The DOJ made the request in the
belief that another week is not an unreasonably long period of time
considering that Napoles's Sworn Statement is expected to cover several
years of various transactions with numerous personalities.
Reasoning "that a complete Affidavit, signed and sworn to by Mrs.
Napoles, would at least have whatever credence could be accorded to any
allegation of fact made under pain of perjury," Secretary De Lima
appealed to the consideration and wise circumspection of the Committee
through its Chairman, Senator TEOFISTO "TG" GUINGONA III, whom she
implored to understand that awaiting said Sworn Statement would be
"better than a mere list that stands by itself, without even a narrative
that would inform those named therein (and the public) of what acts are
actually being imputed against them." She went further by assuring the
Committee, not just of the DOJ's full intent to comply with the
Subpoena, but also to personally update the Committee Chairman on the
progress of the preparation of the Affidavit during the period of
extension.
Despite such appeal, however, Senator Guingona
denied the request, thus compelling the DOJ to submit yesterday the List
from Napoles despite expressly stated reservations.
Secretary
De Lima also requested that, instead of disclosing the list and the
still unverified allegations to the public, the Committee might consider
either awaiting the completion of the vetting process or fact-finding
investigation by the DOJ/NBI, or itself referring the documents it has
gathered to the Ombudsman or the Inter-Agency Anti-Graft Coordinating
Council (IAAGCC).
According to Secretary De Lima:
"Finally, and begging the Honorable Chairman's indulgence, I am
compelled to express my opinion that the proper administration of
justice would still be best served by a regular fact-finding
investigation of Mrs. Napoles's allegations, involving the gathering and
collation of the same amount of voluminous documents that supported the
filing of the appropriate criminal complaints before the Office of the
Ombudsman, which are already undergoing either further fact-finding
investigation by the Ombudsman's Field Investigation Office (FlO) or
preliminary investigation by a Panel of Special Investigators/
Prosecutors.
"... [I]t is beyond cavil that this is a matter of
grave public concern that is best addressed by a thorough
investigation, as such would strike a careful balance between the
collective interest of the Filipino people in ensuring that the persons
responsible be brought to justice, and the interests of those implicated
in ensuring that they are accorded some measure of protection from
yet-to-be-validated accusations."
Apparently denying such
request as well, Senator Guingona went ahead and released a copy of the
signed List from Napoles to the media right after his meeting with
Secretary De Lima, who personally delivered her letter to him yesterday
afternoon.
According to Secretary De Lima, "I had hoped that
considerations of prudence would have persuaded Senator Guingona to
exercise patience in waiting for the completion of the Affidavit of Mrs.
Napoles. But what has been done is done.
"At this point and
absent further statements from Mrs. Napoles clarifying exactly what
facts she is alleging in relation to the list, I just hope that those
who view said list takes it for what it is: a list of names. Aside from
those whose alleged participation is supported by evidence gathered and
already on-record before the NBI or the Ombudsman, the inclusion of the
other names cannot even be characterized as true or false, at this
point, because we don't exactly know what Mrs. Napoles is accusing them
of.
"This List does not represent the Truth per se. It would
take further investigation and painstaking collection of evidence - as
what was done before complaints were filed before the Office of the
Ombudsman - before we arrive at the Truth. But, as I have said before,
the Truth can be revealed in unexpected ways, and even from unexpected
sources. It is our job in the DOJ to ferret it out, even if we have to
wade through rivers of lies and scale seemingly impenetrable walls of
silence." - See more at: http://www.doj.gov.ph
Friday, May 30, 2014
DOJ requests extension of time to comply with Subpoena: Senator Guingona denies request with respect to Napoles list
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