Dimaampao

SC disbars lawyer who claimed he could bribe CA justices

February 23, 2023 Hector Lawas 628 views

THE Supreme Court (SC) disbarred Attorney William F. Delos Santos for informing his client that he could manipulate the legal process by bribing justices of the Court of Appeals (CA).

In a ruling by Associate Justice Japar B. Dimaampao, Delos Santos was also ordered to return the amount of P160,000 to his client Norman Flores, which he had claimed would be utilized to bribe justices of the CA’s Fifteenth Division.

According to court records, Flores’ son Mark was found guilty of violating Sections 5 and 11, Article II of Republic Act No. 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 by the Regional Trial Court of Manila, Branch 23.

Flores retained the legal services of Delos Santos to file an appeal with the appellate court, paying P20,000 as an initial acceptance fee and P5,000 for the request of documents.

In 2015, Delos Santos requested an additional payment of P160,000 from Flores, saying it would be used to bribe the Justices of the Fifteenth Division of the CA, where Mark’s case was pending.

Delos Santos informed Flores that this was her only option for reversing her son’s conviction. Relying on Delos Santos’ guarantee, Flores borrowed funds from her friends and family to raise the money.

After receiving the payment, Delos Santos assured Flores that the funds would be given to his insider or “facilitator” within the Fifteenth Division of the CA.

However, to Flores’ disappointment, the Fifteenth Division of the CA upheld her son’s conviction. Flores questioned Delos Santos as to why her son’s conviction had been affirmed by the lower court.

Delos Santos told Flores he would return the money, but he failed to do so, prompting Flores to file a complaint against him.

Despite being ordered to comment on the complaint, Delos Santos failed to file his comment, leading the Court to refer the case to the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) for investigation, report, and recommendation.

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