(Eagle News) — The estranged wife of Commission on Elections chief Andres Bautista filed on Tuesday a disbarment case against 21 employees of the DivinaLaw firm, including University of Sto. Tomas Faculty of Civil Law dean Nilo Divina.
Patricia Bautista alleged in the complaint she personally filed with her lawyer Lorna Kapunan before the Supreme Court that Divina and his 20 colleagues at the law firm violated the Code of Professional Responsibility.
This was in relation to their alleged corrupt ties to the Comelec chief, who has admitted to receiving referral fees from the law firm but not for assisting companies he would have a conflict of interest with as Comelec head.
Bautista made the allegations after her supposed discovery of checks made in the name of her husband and some family members by DivinaLaw.
DivinaLaw is also the alleged legal counsel of Smartmatic, which secured government contracts for the implementation of the country’s automated polls in 2010, 2013 and last year.
Earlier, an impeachment complaint was filed against the Comelec chief for his ties with DivinaLaw, and his alleged undeclared wealth in his Statement of Asset, Liabilities and Net Worth, among others.
The House justice committee, however, declared the complaint insufficient in form.
In a statement, Divina said he was “not worried at all about any threat of disbarment.”
“I have always acted in accordance with law and the ethical demands of the law profession,” he said.
“They are probably sour that their impeachment complaint against Chairman Bautista was dismissed,” he added.
