In addition to the plunder and graft cases of which they are accused, Sen.Jinggoy Estrada and Janet Lim Napoles might soon face money laundering charges.

The Anti-Money Laundering Council has said that it has found evidence of a laundering scheme in their accounts.

 

The council, however, admitted that more it needed further investigation to bolster any charge.

 

“There are indications of money laundering scheme using the aforementioned bank accounts," the AMLC said in its report.

"There is, however, a need to conduct further investigation to determine the extent of the subjects’ participation and identify the other monetary instruments that were possibly involved in the laundering scheme,” it added.

 

The AMLC said Estrada received close to P158 million in kickbacks after causing his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) allocations to be channeled to Napoles' bogus non-government organizations over a six-year period.

 

“Senator Estrada used two of 10 JLN NGOs, namely; Masaganang Ani Para sa Magsasaka Foundation, Inc. (MAMFI) and Social Development Program for Farmers Foundation, Inc. (SDPFFI) as conduits in the implementation of his projects chargeable to his PDAF for the period of 2008-2009,” the report said. 

 

Both NGOs had accounts with the Land Bank of the Philippines. 

 

The AMLC said that withdrawals from the accounts "were made by JLN representatives like Benhur Luy, Merlina Sunas and Evelyn De Leon despite the fact that none of them was listed as an incorporator... stockholder or officer of the said NGO.”

 

The AMLC said the accounts seemed “temporary” due the the fact that withdrawals take place immediately after a deposit is made, and the balance remained “relatively minimal.”

 

Another indicator that the accounts were mere repositories for the lawmaker’s commissions was the fact that the deposits were made in cash, the AMLC said.

 

“Withdrawals were made in cash despite the large amounts involved, contrary to ordinary business practice,” the AMLC report said. 

 

The AMLC investigation of bank documents also revealed that Estrada, by himself or through his former secretary Pauline Labayen, Carl Dominic Labayen and Juan Tan Ng, received kickbacks amounting to P70.7 million within 30 days from the dates mentioned by whistleblower Benhur Luy in his ledger, known as the daily JLN Corporation Cash/Check Disbursement Reports.

 

“Within 30 days from the dates mentioned in Benhur Luy’s summary of rebates (ledger), Sen. Estrada, by himself or either through Pauline Labayen, Carl Dominic Labayen and Juan Tan Ng, received commissions or rebates from his PDAF in an amount aggregating to P70,748,750. Further, there are other transfers, directly from JLN/JLN Corporation to Juan T. Ng and Francis Yenko totalling to P86,875,000. Therefore, the total commissions or rebates received by Sen. Estrada from his PDAF amounted to P157,623,750,” the 90-page report said.

 

Estrada allegedly siphoned off millions in his PDAF allocations and channeled these to bogus non-government organizations owned by Napoles, who has been tagged as the mastermind of an elaborate pork barrel scam involving legislators' discretionary funds.

 

The senator, who is currently detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center, has repeatedly denied involvement in the pork barrel scam.

 

Other questionable activities uncovered by the AMLC include:

 

- Sudden declarations of significant investments in 2011 and 2012 are not sourced from his assets/liabilities declared in previous years

- Non-declaration of investments for the years 2008 to 2010.

- Under declaration of cash in SALN for the years 2006 to 212. 

- Time Deposit in China Bank amounting to USD 280,000 not declared in SALN

- Life insurance policies totalling USD 75,000 for the years 2005 to 2010 and USD 2,134,000 for the years 2011 to 2014, also not declared in SALN. —NB, GMA News