Manila: Philippine Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre has said the government move to place Janet Lim Napoles under the witness protection programme was necessary to pin down lawmakers who benefitted from the diversion of public funds.

Napoles, a 54-year-old businesswoman, had been detained since 2013 for her role in defrauding the government through fake livelihood projects funded under the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), in what is known as the “pork barrel” scam.

The PDAF is a discretionary fund allotted to lawmakers to spend on projects for their constituents.

However, the allocations were instead diverted for private use under the cover of non-existent projects.

Recently, the government announced that the Justice Department would be taking in Napoles under its witness protection programme.

“The law against plunder is aimed at executives involved in corruption. Since Napoles is not a public official, her help remains instrumental because she could help identify and provide valuable information that would lead to the prosecution of government personnel involved in corruption, particularly the pork barrel scam,” Aguirre said in a press briefing at the palace on Tuesday.

Several Senators, including former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr, Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada had already spent time in detention for their involvement in the case.

However others, including current members of the House of Representatives, have yet to be made to account.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque has previously said President Rodrigo Duterte would not interfere in moves to put Lim-Napoles under the witness protection programme (WPP).

“The president is not a micro-manager. Our law states that it is the prosecutors of the justice department who will decide on who to place under the WPP,” Roque said.

Roque said Napoles had just been placed under “provisional admission” to the WPP and not totally placed under the programme.

“The law says it is the Department of Justice that will decide on these matters. He will allow the line agencies to perform their duties according to the law. He will reserve of course exercise of supervision and control if need be,” he noted.

Reacting to the Justice Department decision to place Napoles under provisional admission to the WPP, Senator Grace Poe said the “pork barrel queen” does not seem to satisfy the requrements needed for admission into the programme.

“There are requisites for one to be admitted as a state witness, most notable requirements are that the accused does not appear to be the most guilty and that there is no other direct evidence available for the prosecution,” she said.

Aguirre had said that under the country’s law against plunder, for which Lim-Napoles is being charge with, the individual being charged has to be a government official.

“The crime of plunder specifically targets government officials involved in wrong doing, Lim-Napoles was never a public servant, she was a businessman,” Aguirre said.