Janet Lim-Napoles
Janet Lim-Napoles | |
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![]() Janet Lim-Napoles's official mugshot | |
Born | Janet Luy Lim January 15, 1964 |
Nationality | Filipino |
Occupation | Businessperson |
Spouse | Jaime G. Napoles |
Children | 4 |
Parents |
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Janet "Jenny" Luy Lim-Napoles (born January 15, 1964 in Malabon) is believed to have masterminded the Priority Development Assistance Fund Scam.
Early life
Janet Lim-Napoles was born in Malabon, then a municipality of Rizal. She was the only daughter amongst five children born of a Chinese Filipino couple: Johnny Co Lim and Magdalena "Nelly" Lim Luy, with her family living in Binondo, Manila until December 1970, with the death of her father.
The widowed Magdalena thereafter decided to return to her hometown of Maluso, Basilan, bringing her children along. Napoles, who was six at the time, studied at the Maluso Central Elementary School for her elementary education, and later completed her secondary education at the local Claretian school. To survive, the family ran the Luys' sari-sari store, as well as delivered drinks to workers at the local port.[1] However, some residents of Maluso have claimed that the Luys were a rich family, including owning a fish drying business and plots of land.[2] However, as the security situation in Basilan began to deteriorate—including receiving threats of extortion—the Lim family moved back to Manila.[2]
Napoles reportedly met her husband, Jaime G. Napoles, on board a ship which traversed between the southern islands of Mindanao,[1] and later married in April 1982,[3] when she was 18. While living in Manila, the couple lived inside Fort Bonifacio, where the young Napoles ran a carinderia.[1]
Business career and government involvement
Napoles' business interests date back to the early 1990s. In 1993, she solicited for investments in a supposed shipyard in Cebu, promising 5% interest on all investments. It was later discovered that the money was not invested in the shipyard: according to Col. Ariel Querubín, who was a friend of the Napoles family, the money they had invested in the shipyard was reportedly invested in someone else, with Napoles pocketing the interest. While the investment was eventually recovered, Querubín claims that the death of his first wife was caused by the investment.[4]
In 2001, Napoles and her husband, Jaime G. Napoles, were implicated in the acquisition by the Armed Forces of the Philippines of ₱3.8 million worth of substandard Kevlar helmets, and were charged with graft and malversation of public funds by the Sandiganbayan (people's special tribunal). While her husband was dropped from the list of defendants in 2002, Napoles herself stood trial, and was acquitted on October 28, 2010 for lack of evidence.[5]
In 2013 it was discovered that Janet Napoles's alleged giant JLN Corporation had paid significantly less taxes than the average local public school teacher. Records show that from 2009 to 2011, her flagship firm JLN Corporation paid less in yearly taxes than a public school teacher earning P21,500 a month.[6]
PDAF scam
![]() | This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (September 2013) |
She is linked with an alleged misuse of the Priority Development Assistance Fund together with Philippine Senators Bong Revilla, Jinggoy Estrada, Juan Ponce Enrile, and other congressmen.
Some accused who have fled and reported to have already left the country were: Plaza, Reyes, Tuason (which return on February 2014, to witness against Enrile and Estrada), Ortiz, Cunanan and Pablo.
Cunanan issued a statement saying he left on Friday September 16, 2013 to attend a meeting in the United States of the Junior Chamber International, where he is its incoming secretary general, but would return to answer allegations he was involved in the scam.
Personal life
Janet Lim-Napoles' husband was a major in the Philippine Marine Corps who participated in the God Save the Queen coup attempt against President Corazón Aquino.[7] Originally a reservist, he later applied for active duty status, and eventually retired from the Marines on December 31, 2004.[8] Together, they have four children, Jo Christine, James Christopher, Christian, and Jeane.[3] Jo Christine Napoles is the president of the Metro Manila chapter of the OFW Family Club party list,[9] and was the group's third nominee to the House of Representatives until she withdrew her nomination on August 8, 2013.[10] Jeane Napoles, meanwhile, has been heavily criticized in social media for flaunting her lifestyle,[11][12] including, among others, owning a $2 million unit at the Ritz-Carlton in Los Angeles while she studied fashion design at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising.[13]
There are conflicting accounts as to the net worth of the Napoles family. While Napoles has most recently claimed that her family belonged to the middle class,[14] acquaintances in Basilan claim that her maternal family had old money,[2] which she confirmed in an earlier interview as having inherited.[15] Her extended family in Basilan, however, has denied her claims of such an inheritance.[16] She has also claimed on other occasions that her family is wealthy, and most of her net worth was due to sound investments,[17] mostly with coal trading in several countries but particularly in Indonesia. [15][18] However, the profitability of Napoles' business ventures has been questioned: according to disclosures made with the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2011 and 2012, the corporations under the JLN Group of Companies reported a total net income of less than ₱1 million,[19] and Merlina Suñas, one of the whistleblowers in the PDAF scam, has claimed that the Napoleses are not knowledgeable about the coal industry.[17]
In other disclosures made to the SEC, it was revealed that Napoles owns at least 28 houses in a number of cities in Luzon alone, with her other family members also holding property in the United States.[20] She also maintains, according to the Department of Justice, around 415 accounts with seventeen different banks.[21] The Napoles family also maintains a fleet of 30 vehicles, which are all registered under the flagship company of the JLN Group of Companies, JLN Corporation.[22]
Napoles is a member of the Roman Catholic Church and is known for having close ties with a number of Catholic clergy. She maintains a home for priests in Makati which is run by Monsignor Josefino S. Ramirez,[23] who previously served as rector of the Quiapo Church,[24] where her mother funded the church's feeding programs for the poor and malnourished.[25] Ramirez reportedly brought the image of the Black Nazarene on a number of occasions to Napoles' house, where they would hear Mass, and has confirmed that he receives from her a monthly stipend of ₱150,000,[25] and lives in one of Napoles' houses.[24] The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila has distanced itself from Napoles, saying that the projects she funds are part of Ramirez's personal apostolate and are not official projects of the archdiocese.[26]
Medication
Janet Lim-Napoles was admitted in Makati Hospital at March 31, 2014 because of her cyst in the uterus.[27]
Makati Jail
Senate Hearing 2013
Janet Napoles's PDAF Senate Hearing was held November 7, 2013.
References
- ^ a b c Hofileña, Chay F. (September 4, 2013). "'Madame Jenny' Napoles, woman in the eye of a storm". Rappler. Rappler, Inc. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
- ^ a b c Alipala, Julie (August 5, 2013). "Janet Lim Napoles' maternal clan is 'landed old rich'". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
- ^ a b Cruz, Louie (April 8, 2012). "A magic carpet ride of a wedding anniversary". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
- ^ Gloria, Glenda M. (August 13, 2013). "Janet Napoles and a tragic past". Rappler. Rappler, Inc. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
- ^ Carandang, Rolly T. (July 19, 2013). "Will Janet Napoles get away again?". Manila Bulletin. Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
- ^ Robles, Raissa. (August 15, 2013). "Janet Napoles' alleged giant JLN Corporation paid less taxes than a public school teacher". Raissa Robles. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
- ^ Masigan, Alfredo (August 21, 2013). "The Napoles Story: So the entire Philippines will know". Global Balita. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
- ^ Romero, Alexis (July 20, 2013). "Napoles hubby in the news, too". The Philippine Star. PhilStar Daily, Inc. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
- ^ Carvajal, Nancy C.; Esguerra, Christian V. (July 14, 2013). "Napoles daughter heads for Congress as OFW rep". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
- ^ Baldo, Gerry (August 9, 2012). "Napoles daughter resigns from OFW Family partylist". The Daily Tribune. The Tribune Publishing Company, Inc. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
- ^ Taberna, Anthony (July 26, 2013). "Napoles' daughter flaunts family's wealth". ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
- ^ Gutierrez, Natashya (July 26, 2013). "Napoles' daughter blogs about lavish lifestyle". Rappler. Rappler, Inc. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
- ^ Gutierrez, Natashya (July 31, 2013). "Napoles daughter owns P80M LA property". Rappler. Rappler, Inc. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
- ^ Mangahas, Malou (August 16, 2013). "Janet Lim-Napoles tells 'Investigative Documentaries': Middle class lang kami" (in Filipino). GMA News and Public Affairs. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
- ^ a b "Napoles insists her money came from inheritance, coal trading". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc. August 12, 2013. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
- ^ Rieta, Hadji (August 15, 2013). "Janet Lim Napoles, walang minanang yaman na ipinuhunan, ayon sa kanyang tiyuhin". 24 Oras (in Filipino). GMA Network.
- ^ a b Cabacungan Jr., Gil C. (August 5, 2013). "Source of Napoles wealth questioned". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
- ^ Sanchez, Korina (interviewer) (July 24, 2013). "Napoles family: Our wealth is legit". Business Nightly (in English and Filipino). ABS-CBN News Channel.
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has generic name (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - ^ Santos Jr., Reynaldo (August 15, 2013). "Napoles businesses earned less than P1M". Rappler. Rappler, Inc. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
- ^ Zamora, Fe (August 16, 2013). "Napoles owns 28 houses". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
- ^ "Napoles' 400 accounts are with 17 banks". Rappler. Rappler, Inc. August 14, 2013. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
- ^ Diola, Camille (August 15, 2013). "List of Napoles' cars, plate numbers released". The Philippine Star. PhilStar Daily, Inc. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
- ^ "Napoles: Benhur Luy has another boss, it is not me". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc. August 15, 2013. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
- ^ a b Gutierrez, Natashya (august 21, 2013). "Priest rents Napoles Forbes Park house". Rappler. Rappler, Inc. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
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(help) - ^ a b Zambrano, Chiara (august 17, 2013). "Priest explains ties to Napoles family". ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
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(help) - ^ Tubeza, Philip C.; Esguerra, Christian V. (August 18, 2013). "Archdiocese of Manila cuts ties with JLN charity group". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
- ^ Calleja (March 31, 2014). "Napoles admitted to Makati hospital for treatment".
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External links
- Janet Napoles and the Pork Barrel Scam - a special report portal maintained by the Philippine Daily Inquirer