The antigraft court Sandiganbayan on Wednesday allowed the opening of the bank records of P10-billion pork-barrel scam whistle-blower Benhur Luy, a decision that now compels a number of commercial banks to open up their books to the scrutiny of lawyers and politicians.
The Sandiganbayan’s Fifth Division, in a resolution, rejected for lack of merit Luy’s attempt to thwart the effort to keep his financial records under wraps as the court similarly directed his mother Getrudes Luy and fellow witness Merlina Suñas and Marina Sula to present their bank accounts before the court, as well.
The antigraft court’s decision directly affects Luy, his cowitnesses and his mother’s financial dealings with such banks as the United Coconut Planters Bank, Banco de Oro Unibank Inc., Metrobank Corp., Land Bank of the Philippines, Philippine Savings Bank, Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co., Bank of the Philippine Islands and Citibank.
Luy allegedly owns 19 separate accounts with the lenders cited by the Sandiganbayan mandate.
“The motion for reconsideration and to quash/recall the subpoena duces tecum…on the bank-account transactions and all other bank records of Benhur K. Luy, Gertrudes Luy, Merlina Suñas and Marina Sula is hereby denied for lack of merit,” the antigraft court said.
Earlier, alleged pork-barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles filed a motion to allow her to examine the bank records of Luy and the other witnesses.
Napoles’s legal counsel, Stephen David, has pointed out that Luy and the other witnesses were the supposed beneficiaries of the scam.
“We agree with the prosecution that the depositor-witnesses are not the accused in the instant case. We, however, find that the monies of the depositor-witnesses in the bank accounts subject of the subpoena can be considered as subject matter of the litigation,” the resolution added.
The court warned the banks would be penalized if they fail to present the requested record of financial transactions.
Earlier, the Office of the Ombudsman said Napoles, together with Senators Ramon Revilla, Jinggoy Estrada and Juan Ponce-Enrile, took undue advantage of their official position to illegally divert, in connivance with certain respondents, their respective PDAF allocations to the Napoles non-governmental organizations in exchange for kickbacks or commissions amounting to more than P172 million for Enrile, P242 million for Revilla and P138 million for Estrada.
Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz