Whistleblower Ruby Tuason selling her Las Vegas pork barrel properties

By Bev Llorente, ABS-CBN North America Bureau

April 4, 2014

LAS VEGAS – Socialite Ruby Tuason has been trying to sell her real estate properties in Las Vegas.

The woman who stands among the accused in the pork barrel scam and who has turned whistleblower says she is doing so in an attempt to return the P40 million pesos in kickbacks that she got when she was embroiled in the elaborate scheme that embezzled the Philippine government of billions of pesos.

Tuason was the social secretary of former president now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada.

In February, she testified before the Philippine Senate’s blue ribbon committee about her alleged irregular transactions with Sen. Jinggoy Estrada and Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile’s staff.

She supposedly delivered bags of money to these lawmakers as their kickbacks.

For allocating their congressional funds to bogus nonprofit organizations of businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles — the alleged mastermind of the scam.

Tuason owned several properties in the Las Vegas Valley but now records show that most of these have been transferred to her two sons.

Documents obtained by ABS-CBN North America Bureau show that in September 2013, this house was transferred to Francis Tuason. The deed was notarized here Las Vegas.
In February of this year, another property inside the Las Vegas Country Club was on the market for $146,000, but was soon taken off the market.

Tuason is expected to return to Manila on April 5, where she is expected to face the music.

Now whether it’s as an accused in a plunder case or a state witness, that remains to be seen.