De Lima seeks court records after being named in disbarred lawyer case

Former Senator Leila De Lima on Friday requested documents and pleadings from the Supreme Court (SC) after her name was mentioned in a case involving a lawyer disbarred for grave misconduct.

“I take grave exception to being wrongfully implicated in the SC spokesperson’s press release on a case that has nothing to do with me,” De Lima said.

“It is profoundly unjust for my name to be dragged into the misconduct of a lawyer who has been stripped of his professional standing precisely because of his ethical violations,” she added.

According to a statement of the SC on February 19, disbarred lawyer Demosthenes Tecson remitted only a portion of the award given by a court to his clients and kept the rest as his attorney’s fees and allegedly for the senatorial campaign of De Lima.

De Lima, however, denied knowing Tecson.

“While I am sure there was no malice intended by the SC Spokesperson in this inclusion, I would be grateful for a public clarification in a supplemental press release on this case that no proof whatsoever was presented as to the truth of Mr. Tecson’s malicious allegation,” she said.

The former senator said that by being mentioned, she was exposed to unfounded charges of impropriety for allegedly associating herself and receiving money from a dishonest lawyer.

“Naming another lawyer who is not a party to a disbarment case and who has not impleaded to defend herself from a baseless allegation in the Spokesperson’s press release is unfair and should be dealt with grave concern by the Honorable Court,” she said.

De Lima also said that she would take all legal steps to protect her rights.

GMA News Online has sought comment from the SC but it has yet to issue a statement as of posting time.—LDF, GMA Integrated News