Napoles again found guilty of money laundering
Another conviction for Janet Lim Napoles, this time for money laundering.
The controversial businesswoman who has been serving prison sentences since 2018 was found guilty of 13 more counts of money laundering in connection with the “pork barrel” scam, the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) said on Thursday.
In a statement, the council hailed the local court ruling as a warning to corrupt officials amid a widening probe into dubious flood control projects.
The Pasig Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 158 on Wednesday sentenced Napoles to seven to 14 years in prison for each count and ordered her to pay a fine of P94.15 million for laundering money from lawmakers’ priority development assistance fund (PDAF), more known as “pork barrel.”
It marked the second conviction the AMLC has secured against her, following a 2024 ruling from the Manila RTC Branch 24.
“This sends a strong message: those who abuse public funds will be held accountable,” Matthew David, AMLC executive director, said. “The AMLC welcomes this court decision as a demonstration of AMLC’s relentless pursuit of individuals who exploit the financial system to conceal corruption.”
The Pasig court found that Napoles planned a scheme involving the creation of bogus nongovernment organizations to receive pork barrel funds for ghost projects.
The scam, which the Inquirer broke in a series of reports in 2013, involved the diversion of pork barrel funds to bogus foundations from 2004 to 2012 arising from the alleged collusion between Napoles and some lawmakers.
She has been convicted of plunder.
Concealing criminal origin
By making it appear that the funds originated from legitimate sources, the AMLC said Napoles concealed its criminal origin—an act that fully satisfied the elements of money laundering under the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2001.
The conviction comes at a time when the AMLC is intensifying its efforts to investigate financial crimes tied to government-funded flood control projects—a controversy that has drawn comparisons to the pork barrel scandal.
Photos of cash-stuffed bundles were presented during congressional hearings as evidence of kickbacks to legislators, fueling public outrage and triggering mass protests on Sept. 21.
Broadest freeze order
Just this week, the AMLC obtained its third and broadest freeze order in the corruption investigation, immobilizing 1,813 assets worth P2.9 billion—including 1,563 bank accounts, 154 vehicles, 30 properties, 54 insurance policies and 12 e-wallets.
Officials said the figure is likely to climb as the investigation widens. Last week, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said the AMLC was also preparing to block the assets of six individuals—including some lawmakers—being sued by the National Bureau of Investigation in connection with allegedly anomalous flood control projects.
