Santiago goes after Baligod: ‘He should be disbarred’
Lawyer Levito Baligod INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago is studying whether to file a disbarment case against lawyer of pork barrel scam whistleblowers Levito Baligod for allegedly drawing up a list that included her name on the list who were allegedly involved in the anomaly.
Santiago was referring to the list of whistleblower Benhur Luy that named her and other personalities, who supposedly transacted with Janet Lim-Napoles, the alleged mastermind of the “pork” scam.
Baligod was Luy’s counsel until the latter decided to drop him.
A laureate of the Asia-wide Magsaysay Award for government service, Santiago lamented how Baligod and his conspirators “think nothing of destroying my reputation.”
“The Magsaysay Award Foundation authorized a secret investigation of my integrity before I was chosen. Now, scums like Baligod and his conspirators think nothing of destroying my reputation,” she said in a statement on Friday.
“If there is any justice in this world, Baligod and his backers should be drawn, quartered, and their severed heads hung from the highest Rizal Park flagpoles,” she added.
Santiago said it appeared that Baligod “by his own admission, concocted the list and distributed it.”
“It also appears that Luy dismissed Baligod and is now represented by lawyer Raji Mendoza. The incumbent lawyer has told media that Luy had nothing to do with the preparation of the so-called Luy list. If so, then Baligod should take full responsibility,” said the senator.
Also under the Rules of Court, the senator said, any member of the bar may be disbarred by the Supreme Court for “any deceit, malpractice, or other gross misconduct in public office, grossly immoral conduct, or by reason of his conviction of a crime involving moral turpitude, or for any violation of the lawyer’s oath, and therefore Baligod should be disbarred.”
Santiago then wants Luy and his lawyers Baligod and Mendoza –-to face the Senate hearing on the pork scam “to settle the criminal responsibility for the Luy list.”
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