A SUPREME Court decision on Tuesday meant alleged pork-barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles will not be released despite the solicitor general’s decision to reverse her conviction in a serious illegal-detention case.
The high court on Tuesday sustained the Ombudsman’s decision indicting Napoles before the Sandiganbayan in connection with the anomalies over the lawmakers’ Priority Development Assistance Fund or pork-barrel funds.
The high court upheld the resolutions of the Ombudsman approving the filing of criminal cases against Napoles and two others in connection with the alleged misuse of over P25-million pork barrel funds of former Agusan del Sur Rep. Rodolfo Plaza.
Besides Napoles, the high court also denied the separate petitions filed by her driver John Raymund de Asis and former National Agri-Business Corp. president Alan Javellana seeking to dismiss the charges of misuse of public funds, corruption of public officials and violation of the Anti-Graft Law against them.
Napoles is being tried by the Sandiganbayan for the plunder charges against her in relation to the pork-barrel scam.
The high court ruling came after the solicitor general sought Napoles’ acquittal before the Court of Appeals in the case involving the serious illegal detention of star witness Benhur Luy for which she was already convicted.