Janet Napoles convicted of 13 money laundering counts in PDAF scam

Janet Lim Napoles, known as the "pork barrel queen," has been convicted by the Pasig Regional Trial Court (RTC) on 13 counts of money laundering related to the 2013 Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam.

The RTC Branch 158 found that Napoles utilized ghost non-government organizations to funnel pork barrel funds for fictitious projects.

Napoles' actions, which involved concealing the criminal origin of the funds by making them appear legitimate, met the criteria for money laundering under the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2001, as amended.

For each conviction, she faces a prison sentence of seven to 14 years and a fine of P94.15 million, though these penalties are subject to appeal.

This conviction follows a previous money laundering conviction in July 2024, where she received a similar prison sentence and a P16-million fine.

The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) stated that this ruling sends a strong message about holding individuals accountable for abusing public funds.