Medialdea rebuts Napoles lawyer: ‘Why would I give legal advice for his client?’

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte (right) and Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea (left). The country’s Executive Secretary is also called the Little President.  (ALBERT ALCAIN/Presidential Photo)

Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea denied on Tuesday that he advised the lawyer of alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles to seek for her transfer of custody from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Taguig City to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

“Why would I give a legal advice to a lawyer for his client? If I were his client, I will fire him,” Medialdea said in a text message to reporters. The so-called Little President is also a lawyer by profession.

Lawyer Stephen David claimed on Monday that he filed the petition for the transfer of Napoles’ custody after consulting Medialdea and Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II.

READ: Napoles says Palace gave her legal advice

“There was a discussion with the Executive Secretary that the DOJ shall take custody of Mrs. Napoles. Because of that, I sought to write on the matter,” David said during Monday’s hearing at the Sandiganbayan Third Division.                /kga