The Sandiganbayan has ruled that the evidence against businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles in her P108.4 million plunder and graft charges “unless successfully rebutted by her’ are sufficient to support a verdict of conviction.
With its ruling, the anti-graft court denied Napoles’ motion to be allowed to file a demurrer to evidence – a pleading filed by an accused in a criminal case to dismiss the charge on alleged weakness of the prosecution’s evidence.
A demurrer to evidence can be filed only with permission of the court and it is done once the prosecution has terminated the presentation of its evidence on the criminal charges. If a demurrer is filed without court’s permission and it is denied, the accused effectively waived his or her right to present his or her own evidence.
Napoles is co-accused of then Masbate Rep. Rizalina S. Lanete in the alleged misuse of the former legislator’s P112.9 million priority development assistance fund (PDAF).
In denying Napoles’ motion to file a demurrer to evidence, the Sandiganbayan’s fourth division said: “With respect to her motion in Criminal Cases Nos. SB-15-CRM-0055 to 0065, the Court is of the view that the grounds raised by accused Napoles were bereft of merit, as these are matters of defense which shall be resolved by the Court after the full-blown trial of the cases.”
"The testimonial and documentary evidence presented by the prosecution, unless successfully rebutted by the accused, are sufficient to support a verdict of guilt against accused Napoles," the court ruled.
Also, the court denied her motion since it was filed beyond the allowed period of five days after completion of presentation of the prosecution's evidence. The deadline for her submission was on Oct. 26, but she filed her motion on Nov. 4, it said.
Lanete was charged with plunder and 11 counts of graft for allegedly misusing her P112.9 million PDAF when she was still Masbate representative in Congress, and illegally diverting the funds to a “fictitious” non-government organization reportedly owned by Napoles. Lanete was accused of pocketing P108.405 million.
With the denial of her motion for permission to file a demurrer to evidence, Napoles would have to present her own evidence to rebut the charges against her.
TAGS: #Sandiganbayan #Napoles #Rizalina Lanete