Napoles asks court to junk arrest order

MANILA, Philippines - Businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles, now a high profile fugitive, asked the Court of Appeals (CA) through her lawyer on Friday to dismiss the warrant of arrest it issued against her.

Napoles' counsel Lorna Kapunan filed a petition for certiorari before the CA,questioning her alleged involvement in the serious illegal detention of supposed whistleblower Benhur Luy.

The businesswoman, who has been tagged as the brains behind the multi-billion peso pork barrel scam, asked to issue a temporary restraining order or a writ of preliminary injunction against the arrest order.

Napoles' brother, Reynald "Jojo" Lim, has also been ordered arrested for Luy's alleged kidnapping.

Luy blew the whistle on the alleged use of several lawmakers' pork barrel funds for ghost projects awarded to non-government organizations reportedly controlled by Napoles' company.

Two days after ordering the arrest of Napoles, the appellate court issued a freeze order on the bank accounts of the businesswoman, her children and relatives.