Napoles beats graft charges

By Maricel V. Cruz

THE Sandiganbayan

First Division on Monday acquitted imprisoned former businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles in 16 graft cases in connection with the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr.

The Second Division, however, convicted Napoles for two counts of graft and two counts of malversation in another set of PDAF cases involving the late Davao del Sur Rep. Douglas Cagas.

The cases handled by the First Division were originally filed against Napoles and Revilla in 2014.

The anti-graft court acquitted Revilla in the plunder case in 2018 while Napoles and other accused individuals