DOJ discovered pork scam by accident

MANILA - An accident. This is how Justice Secretary Leila de Lima described how the Department of Justice discovered the alleged P10 billion pork barrel scam involving businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles and several lawmakers. In her opening statement during the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing, de Lima said investigators were focusing on the serious illegal detention of Benhur Luy when he revealed an alleged conspiracy by Napoles and lawmakers to pocket pork barrel funds using fake non-government organizations. "The PDAF scam attributed to Janet Lim Napoles was discovered by accident through circumstances that were not the whistle-blowers' own choosing," she said. De Lima said the National Bureau of Investigation were quietly investigating the alleged scam when the Philippine Daily Inquirer printed a series of reports on the scam. "As you know, di na tinantanan ang storya na ito ng ating media. The public was outraged, rightly so, with the story of plunder," she said. The justice chief said she urged the Senate panel to excuse whistle-blowers from appearing in the hearing. However, she said Luy has consented to appear before the Senate inquiry with assistance from his lawyer, Levito Baligod. She urged lawmakers not to force Luy to name names in the pork scam. "Benhur Luy is in best position to complete the narrative of the scam," she said. ANC, September 12, 2013