DOJ Sec Vitilliano Aguirre answers questions from the media during a press briefing in Malacañang. INQUIRER / JOAN BONDOC
It was a mere “opinion” and not a legal advice.
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II had this to say after the lawyer of alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles has revealed that Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea advised him to file a motion before the Sandiganbayan for the jail transfer of Napoles.
Aguirre, on Tuesday, confirmed that he and Medialdea met with lawyer Stephen David in Malacañang after Napoles’ lawyer sought their opinion on his client’s jail transfer.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) had earlier said that Napoles was admitted to the government’s provisional witness protection program (WPP).
READ: Napoles now under provisional WPP coverage
Aguirre said David first asked his opinion on Napoles’ jail transfer.
“Ang gusto niya [David] kasi is that mayroon kasi siyang, there’s another opinion that as long as, once you are covered under the WPP, the prisoner or the applicant, in this case Napoles, could be taken out already of the Taguig detention cell because the threat of her life and be put under a safe house, outside the Taguig jail,” Aguirre said in a Palace briefing.
But Aguirre said he disagreed with David.
“But I said to the lawyer it is your duty to get Janet Napoles out of the Taguig jail and you should file the appropriate motion before the divisions of the Sandiganbayan,” he said.
Aguirre said David asked Medialdea if he could reverse the decision of the justice secretary.
“But the Executive Secretary and I have the same position,” Aguirre said.
On Tuesday morning, Medialdea denied he gave a legal advice to David.
READ: Napoles says Palace gave her legal advice
Sought for his comment, Aguirre said it was not a legal advice but a mere opinion.
“But it’s not giving legal advice. He’s just giving his opinion,” he said.
“Hindi naman legal advice ‘yun. Actually he talked to ES Medialdea to appeal my opinion that we at the DOJ could not, he wants to say that since I am under the Office of the President as department secretary, he could appeal my opinion to the Executive Secretary,” he added. /jpv
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