Senator Richard J. Gordon on Friday October 15 vehemently denied having received any donation from nor has he ever had financial dealings with Janet Lim- Napoles, the key figure in the controversial P10 billion Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam.
‘’There have never been any reports that he (Gordon) was involved in the PDAF scam she masterminded, otherwise cases would have been filed against him years ago,’’ according to a press statement issued by Gordon’s office.
‘’With all the attacks hurled against Senator Richard Gordon, the Napoles claim is just another desperate attempt using a polluted source meant to distract the Senate investigation from exposing corrupt individuals involved in the anomalous transactions this administration has entered with its favored suppliers,’’ it said.
The PDAF scandal exploded eight years ago.
In early February 2021, Napoles was handed down another guilty verdict in relation to the PDAF scam.
The Gordon press statement said that ‘’Napoles lived in the same condominium building as Senator Gordon, and it is easy for anyone to secure a fellow resident's unit number. People do so all the time to bring or send letters, fruits, and food.’’
‘’To set the record straight, all campaign contributions and expenses related to the past election campaigns as well as the use of development assistance funds of Senator Gordon and his office are above board and of public record,’’ it stressed.
‘’If the price Senator Gordon has to pay for discharging his sworn duty to the Filipino who elected him is all these rehashed issues and maliciously concocted stories, we have no doubt he is ready to face his critics and detractors head on,’’ the statement added.
As chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee, Gordon has been crossed swords with President Duterte on the alleged ‘’premeditated plunder’’ at the Procurement Service, Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) on the controversial multi-billion-peso purchases of medical supplies for the government’s COVID-19 pandemic responses.