Comelec chief’s wife wants UST law dean disbarred

Mrs. Patricia Bautista, flanked by Atty. Lorna Kapunan (R) and Deputy Minority Leader Rep. Harry Roque, being asked for her statement by media after the impeachment complaint filed against her husband, COMELEC chairman Andy Bautista, was deemed insufficient in form by the House Justice Committee. PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER / LYN RILLON

Published: 11:49 a.m., Sept. 26, 2017 | Updated: 12:43 a.m., Sept. 27, 2017

The estranged wife of Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Andres Bautista on Tuesday filed a disbarment complaint before the Supreme Court against University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law Dean Nilo Divina and 20 others.

She accused them of violating the Code of Professional Responsibility.

“We are doing what we said we will do which is to use other avenues and other venues to allow these documents to come to light,” Patricia “Tish” Bautista told reporters after she filed the complaint at the Supreme Court.

She was referring to documentary evidence allegedly proving that her husband had amassed some P1 billion in ill-gotten wealth.

Patricia filed the complaint after the impeachment complaint against her husband was dismissed by the House of Representatives.

Patricia was accompanied by lawyer Lorna Kapunan.

She had earlier accused Divina of illegally giving commissions to the Comelec chief for endorsing clients to Divina’s law firm, among them Smartmatic, the poll body’s technology provider in the last three automated elections.

“The honorable court has the solemn duty to weed out members of the bar who proves unfit to be in its roll for the protection of the entire legal profession and more importantly, for the protection of the public,” she said in 37-page complaint.

Patricia said Divina, who was also being questioned for the hazing death of UST freshman law student Horacio Castillo III, and his law partners were “members who deserve to be weeded out.”

Sought for comment, Divina chose to play down Patricia’s allegations, saying the disbarment complaint was prompted by the decision of the House of Representatives to junk the impeachment complaint against the Comelec chief.

“We have always acted in accordance with law and the ethical demands of the law profession… I am not worried at all about any threat of disbarment,” Divina said in a text message to reporters.

“They are probably sour that their impeachment complaint was dismissed,” he said. /cbb /atm