De Lima: Wife’s claim of Enrile’s affair with Gigi Reyes could help ‘pork’ probe

(Updated 8:44 p.m.) Cristina Castañer Enrile's claim that her husband, Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile, had an "affair" with his former chief of staff, Atty. Gigi Reyes, could be of help in the ongoing investigation on the pork barrel scam, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said Wednesday.

In an interview on GMA News' "Unang Hirit," De Lima said the confirmation on the "closeness" of Enrile and Reyes could strengthen the link between the two on the alleged misuse of the lawmaker's Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).

“Si Ruby Tuason may sinasabi tungkol sa pagde-deliver ng kickback, e hindi naman ito diretso kay JPE (Enrile's initials), kay ano lang, kay Gigi Reyes. Sinabi rin ni Dennis Cunanan, yung nakakausap din niya sa telepono kapag kino-confirm yung authenticity ng mga signature sa mga dokumento na ipinapakita sa kanya, si Atty. Gigi Reyes din umano ang nag-confirm,” De Lima said, referring to the statements of two witnesses.

“So nagpapatibay yan sa... even if walang ganun na diretso na sinasabi na tinatanggap ni Sen. JPE (yung kickback) e, yung buong mundo alam kung sino si Gigi Reyes, na ganun siya ka-close and she represents herself to be really acting for and in behalf of Sen. JPE,” De Lima added.

On the other hand, lawyer Trixie Cruz-Angeles, a defense lawyer for almost 15 years, said mere association does not establish conspiracy or participation in a crime.

“Since this is a criminal case, guilt must be established beyond reasonable doubt. The burden of the prosecution is to prove involvement of JPE in the scam. If this involvement is by conspiracy, DOJ must show the evidence of it, separate from the crime. Or if as mastermind, they must prove that he ordered/requested her to act on his behalf,” she said in a text message to GMA News Online.

“A mere association will not reasonably establish conspiracy or participation. In short, one cannot establish guilt by mere association,” added Cruz-Angeles, a former spokesperson of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.

Enrile, in an interview at the Senate on Wednesday, dismissed Cristina's claim regarding his alleged affair as "suspicions of a wife."

"Hindi ko nga alam na magpapa-interview," Enrile said with a smile.

Previous denial 

As early as last year, Enrile already denied he had a romantic affair with Reyes, saying he is too old to have a girlfriend.

"If they're implying that she is my girlfriend, well, I'm too old for that. I do not look old at all... from my waist up I am still very well, but from my waist down, well, I do not know about that. Maybe once in a blue moon if ever," Enrile told "Unang Hirit" in a phonepatch interview on January 24, 2013.

This was after a privilege speech of Senator Alan Peter Cayetano questioning the power of Reyes to sign on behalf of Enrile and why she was allowed inside caucuses where only senators are usually present.

Read: Rumors of romance have followed Enrile and chief of staff for years.

But De Lima said that even if the closeness of Enrile and Reyes is already common knowledge, she said she does not want to dwell on the issue.

“They say it is an intimate relationship, or something else ... pero ayoko nang panghimasukan. Sa ganung bagay (pork barrel scam probe) makakatulong 'yan pero sa relasyon na 'yan wag na ho nating pakialaman 'yan,” she said.

In an exclusive interview with Prof. Winnie Monsod, Mrs. Enrile admitted that her husband's affair with Reyes prompted her to seek a divorce in the United States. Enrile, however, rejected it and said, “Over my dead body will I give you a divorce.”

Mrs. Enrile added that the senator's affair with Reyes was the longest of the 38 relationships he had with other women. She said she had met Reyes only once and “it wasn't nice. I gave it to her."

The interview was for the GMA News TV program “Bawal ang Pasaway,” which aired on Monday, March 3, 2014.



Tuason testimony

Ruby Tuason, in her sworn affidavit and testimony during the Senate blue ribbon committee, said she delivered to Reyes the kickbacks supposedly for Enrile but she was not able to talk with the senator. She said she would only see the senator when he fetches Reyes.

"He [Enrile] never talked to me about PDAF. He would arrive, have coffee, and pick up Attorney Reyes," Tuason said at the Senate's February 13 hearing.

Tuason had admitted she was the one who introduced alleged pork barrel mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles to Reyes and Sen. Jinggoy Estrada.

Enrile earlier said that he never authorized Reyes to discuss PDAF transactions with anyone.

On the other hand, Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago had also said the mere presence of Enrile during the meetings between Reyes and Tuason was enough to prove conspiracy in the pork barrel scam.

Enrile, Reyes, and Tuason were among the respondents in the plunder complaint filed before the Ombudsman for allegedly diverting government funds to bogus non-government organizations linked to Napoles.

Tuason requested to become a state witness in exchange for the information she shared regarding the issue.

Meanwhile, De Lima said the Ombudsman might release its decision on the complaint soon.

"Sa tingin ko malapit na. Karamihan, if not all (of the respondents), have already filed their counter affidavits," she said.  — Amita Legaspi /LBG/KBK/RSJ/BM, GMA News