NBI to summon Leviste over alleged sex scandal plot vs Recto
MANILA, Philippines — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) will summon Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Leviste and former Cabinet official Jacinto Paras over an alleged foiled attempt to frame up Executive Secretary Ralph Recto in a sex scandal.
Recto was the target of an elaborate plot allegedly orchestrated by Leviste to frame him in a scandal involving prostitutes, one of the sex workers who took part in the planning has claimed.
The NBI-National Capital Region division on Tuesday arrested a talent manager and rescued four women in a human trafficking operation at a high-end hotel in Manila.
Leviste denied involvement, saying he had nothing to do with Recto’s “womanizing.”
One of the women revealed how the group planned to concoct a damaging story against Recto, revealing that the suspect was in touch with Paras, who served as presidential adviser for political affairs under the Duterte administration.
“It was not only the executive secretary who’s the target here; it’s one of the many that the group is targeting for character assassination,” NBI Director Melvin Matibag told reporters on Friday.
“After they were caught, it was revealed that Paras personally contacted the pimp – I call him the Epstein of the Philippines – to conduct this high-end operation.”
The NBI has copies of the messages between Paras and the pimp, but Matibag said the former Negros Oriental lawmaker has already deleted them.
Leviste, for his part, would bankroll the operation, according to Matibag, promising the pimp and the women P1 million each.
The plot would involve Recto being lured to lascivious activities that would later be used to attack his reputation. Three lawyers were allegedly helping the women craft their affidavits to implicate Recto in court later on.
“They would say that Recto was contracting women from this pimp and that he was forcing them to take drugs and engage in sexual activities,” Matibag said. “The woman whom we talked with admitted that she doesn’t really know the executive secretary.”
The operation would have been conducted next week, just after the President’s State of the Nation Address. The group would have next targeted Cabinet members and senators had the plot against Recto succeeded, Matibag said.
Leviste hinted at the matter in a Facebook post on Thursday.
“A top official seemed to be womanizing in Rockwell. I have nothing to do with that,” he posted.
Leviste denied involvement in the supposed frame-up.
“It can be proven that I did not talk to any of these people – it’s better to ask Recto if he knew these people,” he told The STAR in a text message.
Paras also denied the allegations against him.
“At the right time, I will answer all questions about this,” he posted on his Facebook page.
The NBI is treating this case as a “destabilization plot” against the government.
The alleged plot
The planned smear campaign was hatched during a meeting attended by Paras, who was accompanied by two men, in a restaurant in Quezon City this month, according to alias “Jen.”
Jen was with four other women and their talent manager Lito de Guzman.
She said Paras, who acted as a mediator between Leviste and De Guzman, told them they would execute sworn statements claiming that Recto hired them for sexual services.
“What we needed to say is that the senator booked you and you had sex and you took drugs, which is cocaine,” Jen told GMA News on Thursday night, quoting Paras as referring to Recto, a former senator.
Jen said Paras revealed during the meeting that Leviste was the brains and financier of the smear job.
- Latest
- Trending