MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court (SC) has disbarred a lawyer for falsifying a Court of Appeals decision acquitting a drug suspect.
At a press conference, the Court’s Information Chief and Spokesperson Atty. Brian Keith Hosaka announced that Atty. Marie Frances E. Ramon was found guilty of violating the Lawyer’s Oath, Canons 1, 7, 10; and Rules 1.01, 1.02, 7.03, 10.01, 10.02, and 10.03 of the Code of Professional Responsibility and Grave Misconduct.
The Court ordered that her name be stricken off the Roll of Attorneys effective immediately and without prejudice to filing civil or criminal case against her.
“Atty. Ramon has tarnish the image of the legal profession and has lessened the public faith in the Judiciary. Hence, the ultimate penalty of disbarment must be imposed upon her,” the Court said.
The administrative complaint stemmed from the joint complaint-affidavit for disbarment filed by CA Associate Justices Fernanda Lampas-Peralta, Chairperson of the Sixth Division; Stephen C. Cruz, Senior Member of the Fifth Division; and Ramon Paul L. Hernando, then Junior Member of the Fifth Division, now a member of the high court.
The CA justices accused Ramon of representing herself as a lawyer who can influence appellate court justices to secure an acquittal of an accused, defrauding the relatives of an accused to amass a large amount of money, and committing the crimes of estafa and falsification.
Based on the findings of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines Commission and the recommendation of the IBP Board, which was adopted by the Court, Ramon lured Maria Rossan De Jesus into giving her a huge sum of money by promising to secure the acquittal of her cousin Tirso Fajardo.
Ramon, according to the investigation, duped her clients by drafting a sham decision regarding the purported acquittal of Fajardo and placed the names of the CA justices in the fake decision although the case was assigned in a different division and assigned to a different CA justice. /je