Medialdea denies giving legal advice to Napoles lawyer

Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea said he did not give legal advice to lawyer Stephen David, the legal counsel of the alleged pork barrel mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles. (PCOO photo)

Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea said he did not give legal advice to lawyer Stephen David, the legal counsel of the alleged pork barrel mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles.

“Why would I give a legal advice to a lawyer for his client? If I were his client I will fire him,” Medialdea said in a message sent to media on Tuesday, March 20.

This remark came after David claimed that he met with Medialdea and Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II at the Palace in relation to Napoles’ bid for transfer of custody.

In an interview with reporters after the proceedings at the Third Division, David said he wanted Napoles to be moved to the Witness Protection Program (WPP) even without the consent of the Sandiganbayan; however, Medialdea and Agurirre advised him to file a motion before the anti-graft court.

“Ang meeting namin, na-admit na kasi siya (Napoles) sa WPP kasi nga ang gusto sana namin ay ilipat na siya. Pero sabi nga nila, sabi ni ES, nag-meeting kami concerning after na–admit siya, ang sabi nila, kailangan kang mag-file ng motion, ang pinag-usapan namin whether or not magfa-file ba siya ng motion (Napoles has been provisionally admitted to WPP because we wanted her to be transferred. In our meeting after she was placed under it, they said that we need to file a motion, what we talked about was to whether or not file a motion),” David said.

The lawyer added that he wanted to transfer his client from Camp Bagong Diwa “to a secure facility and later on just inform the court that we did this, and they (Aguirre and Medialdea) did not like that.”

According to David, he sought the meeting with the two Cabinet officials because “we are in a situation where we do not know what to do. Is she being immediately taken out of the facility, or shall we file a motion? That’s why we have to consult people in authority as to what to do.”

While Medialdea denies David’s claims, Aguirre confirmed that he and the Executive Secretary met with Napoles’ lawyer.

According to him, David sought for their opinion regarding the jail transfer of his client. Aguirre told the lawyer to file necessary motions before the divisions of the Sandiganbayan as they need a favorable order from them.

The Justice Secretary said that David then sought Medialdea’s opinion to reverse his opinion but the Executive Secretary has the same decision.

Napoles has been “provisionally covered” by the Witness Protection Security and Benefit Program (WPSBP) since February 27, 2018, according to a copy of the DOJ certification signed by Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Ma. Nerissa Molina-Carpio.

She, along with former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Senators Ramon Revilla Jr. and Jinggoy Estrada, was charged with multiple plunder and graft in connection with the alleged disbursements of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).