Luy asks court to lift freeze order on bank accounts

MANILA, Philippines — Pork barrel scam principal whistleblower Benhuy Luy has asked the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) to lift the temporary freeze order imposed on his assets.

In his comment filed Tuesday, Luy asked the court to release four bank accounts reportedly containing at least P679,000, an SUV, a Toyota sedan and a motorcycle.

According to a state news report, Luy argued that as a government witness, he cannot be subjected to any penalties or forfeiture of assets as part of his immunity.

The Manila RTC Branch 22 issued the provisional asset preservation order in August 2013 on the bank accounts of Luy, his former employer Janet Lim Napoles and other Napoles' kin in connection with their alleged involvement in the multi-billion pork barrel funds scam.

The freeze order stemmed from the forfeiture case filed by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).

Luy's accounts covered by the order include a dollar account with the Bank of the Philippine Islands with a deposit of $15,008.90, a MetroBank account containing P2,867.79 and two other accounts under MetroBank and United Coconut Planters Bank.

His 2007 Eastworld Mox Motorcycle, 2010 Mitsubishi Montero Sport G and 2004 Toyota Corolla Altis were also seized by authorities.

Solicitor General Francis Jardaleza, meanwhile, opposed Luy's motion and said that his status as pork scam witness does not apply in the forfeiture case.

"The benefits under the WPP may only be invoked in criminal proceedings. The [forfeiture] case is civil in nature," Jardaleza said.

He also opposed the pleas of Luy's family to lift the freeze order on their assets.

Luy's brother, Arthur, said his earnings are legitimate as a seafarer who earned $7,000 a month; a claim that Jardaleza disputed.

Jardaleza said that Arthuy Luy's company Oste Crewng Philippines revealed he only earns $3,483 a month.

"This cannot explain the huge amounts transacted in Arthur Luy's account during the material dates of the pork barrel scam that reached up to P1 million in one banking day," Jardeleza argued.

The bank account of Luy's mother, Gertrudes, was also traced to have received money from Micro-Agri Business Citizens Initiative Foundation Inc. linked to Napoles during the period of the scam.

The Luys' assets are among those covered in AMLC's forfeiture case.