Showbiz Government "In the case of Aquino, his categorical denial of having ever known Napoles still raises some questions. In particular, how does the presidential statement jibe with Napoles’ frequent invocation of the President’s name to almost everyone, including her business associates, before her arrest? Indeed, at least one potential witness against Napoles insists that the businesswoman frequently brags of “a direct line” to the President. And if any court or investigating body specifically questions the witnesses, including the supposed whistle-blowers now in official custody, if Napoles ever said that she personally knows Aquino, the reply will be in the affirmative. Finally, there will be the testimony of Napoles herself, who, if she knows what’s good for her, had better not lie under oath. And if she owns up to knowing Aquino after the whistle-blowers testify that she frequently invoked her ties to the President, then even Aquino’s denial will lose its value. One former business associate of Napoles, for instance, has confided as much to me. This person said that Napoles never feared that her business dealings would ever be investigated, because of her “personal relationship” with Aquino. “Even when she wrote her letter to the President [last April, asking that Aquino look into alleged harassment by the National Bureau of Investigation of her brother, Reynald Lim], she bragged that she would get quick action because the President is her friend,” this potential witness said. “And she was right, she said, because the President acted on her request right away. She always made it a point, in conversation, to mention that she and the President were friends.” Of course, ultimately, Napoles’ supposed friendship with Aquino will have to be proven by how he spent his pork barrel funds during his 12 years as a member of Congress, first as a Tarlac congressman and later as a senator. But since both the Department of Budget and Management and the Commission on Audit seem to never get around to giving us that information, no one—except probably a true Yellow fanatic—should take Aquino’s word for it when he denies ever knowing Napoles before meeting her upon her surrender to him. So, the question remains: When did Aquino meet Napoles and did he ever deal with her? If Aquino is lying to us, he must know that he will pay for it, just like Nixon did." manilastandardtoday/2013/09/11/noy-denies-jenny/
Posted on: Wed, 11 Sep 2013 04:01:54 +0000
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