Baligod releases recordings of alleged extortion try on Napoles

In an interview aired on GMA News' “24 Oras” Wednesday, Baligod said the Napoles camp sent him the two audio recordings in August of last year to blackmail him from filing cases against Napoles before the Department of Justice.

 

“Binigyan nila ako ng kopya nito (audio recordings) way back in August of last year para takutin ako, para hindi ko ituloy yung mga ginagawa kong kaso laban kay ginang Napoles. Doon sa audio recording, walang extortion,” Baligod said.

 

He said the audio clips did not show the whole conversations and were intentionally distorted to make it appear that he was extorting money from the Napoles camp.

 

Baligod said the first audio clip was his phone conversation with Napoles' lawyer Freddie Villamor on March 24, 2013, several days after Baligod's former client, Benhur Luy was rescued by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) after being detained by Napoles in a condominium unit in Taguig City for several months.

 

Baligod said it was Villamor who called him.

 

In the conversation, Villamor can be heard saying: “Levs, ano balita? Ano tingin mo? Maaayos ba natin?”.

 

To which Baligod replied: “Eh, ikaw naman sinasabihan mo pa si Behur na maawa kay Jenny”.

 

“Alam mo kaibigan ko rin kasi yung tao (Luy), kakilala rin naman ako nun. Ang tinanong ko naman kay Benhur, 'Ben ano ba ito? Ganito na ba 'to, hindi na ba maayos 'to? Maawa ka naman kila Jenny.'...Ano sabi ni Benhur?” Villamor said to Baligod.

 

“Kumpleto na yung statements nila (whistleblowers),” Baligod replied.

 

In the middle of the conversation Villamor can be heared saying: “Parang masyadong malaki, saka nakakatakot dahil wala pang kasiguraduhan.”

 

“Ok lang, ifi-file na namin sa Central Bank yung affidavit nila, saka yung waiver sa confidentiality of bank deposits,” Baligod meanwhile told Villamor.

 

Baligod said portions of conversation were strategically cut. He said what Villamor was actually describing as too much was the amount of money that Luy wanted to be withdrawn from a bank account under his name as it also contained money from Napoles' alleged pork barrel transactions.

 

The second audio clip meanwhile was his conversation with Napoles and two other individuals in a hotel on March 27, 2013.

 

Baligod had earlier claimed that Napoles, during the said meeting, attempted to bribe him of as much as P300 million to settle the case.

 

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/362699/news/nation/baligod-napoles-camp-offered-p300m-to-settle-case-silence-whistleblowers

 

Baligod said a “top government official” arranged the meeting and that he did not know that Napoles would be present.

 

In the recorded conversation during the March 27 meeting, Baligod can be heard saying, “Itong situation kasi malalim na ito. Mabigat ho ang mga ebidensya.”

 

“So papano nga natin papagaanin yun? Papano mo kami matutulungan na yung mabigat maging magaan?” Napoles meanwhile said.

 

“Ang solusyon lang dito is mag-migrate sila,” Baligod replied.

 

To which, Napoles said: “The whole family? Papano sila mag-mimigrate? Saan sila magmimigrate? Matagal yan, mabuti sana kung mabilisan.”

 

Baligod explained that he had no intention of settling the case with Napoles that was why he offered a solution that was impossible to be realized.

 

“Binibigyan ko ng isang solusyon si ginang Napoles na imposible niyang tuparin,” Baligod said.

 

Baligod said that in both instances, he did not know that the conversations were being recorded.

 

Just last week, it was revealed that Napoles actually wrote a letter to President Benigno Aquino III dated April 17, 2013 saying that Baligod and retired General Rodolfo Diaz, head of the Presidential Security Group during the term of former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, were trying to extort about P38 million from her and her family.

 

Baligod had earlier denied the allegation.

 

He said there might be a deeper motive behind the allegations being hurdled against him as well as why he was abruptly dropped by Luy and the other whistleblowers as their lawyer.

 

“Ayokong mag-speculate no, pero kung bibigyan nila ng pansin yung finile kong complaint sa DOJ noong March 2014, doon maguumpisa yung investigation sa non-Napoles NGOs at merong tatamaan na administration at opposition legislators diyan,” Baligod said.

 

Baligod had earlier said in newspaper reports that several lawmakers also coursed their Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) to dubious projects of other NGOs not connected with Napoles.  — Elizabeth Marcelo/ELR, GMA News