OSG hit for silence on 'recantation' of Subic rape victim

MANILA, Philippines - The former lawyer of the complainant in the Subic rape case questioned the Office of the Solicitor General Wednesday for its silence on the complainant’s supposed reneging on the case. Evalyn Ursua chided the OSG for not even trying to counter what she called a bid by the camp of convicted rapist Lance Corporal Daniel Smith to sway the minds of appellate court justices. “Walang ginagawa ang OSG para pangalagaan ang interest ng people of the Philippines. Hindi nila kinukwestyon ang affidavit na yan at malaking epekto ng affidavit na yan sa pagiisip ng ating mga justices kahit pa man wala siyang legal weight)," she said in an interview on dwIZ radio. [Why is the OSG not doing anything to protect the interest of the people of the Philippines? They are not even questioning the affidavit of the complainant, which may have a big effect on the mindset of the CA justices.] She noted that while the new affidavit of the complainant carries no legal weight, the CA’s justices can still be swayed because they are handling Smith’s motion for reconsideration. On Tuesday, Ursua and several civil society lawyers asked the Supreme Court to look into the ethical implications of the affidavit. They also asked the high court to look into the “improper release" of a draft CA ruling acquitting Smith. “Napaka-suspicious ng circumstances, lumalabas si Nicole in-assist ng defense lawyers at sila nagnotaryo ng sworn statement sa opisina ng defense lawyers. Yan ay malinaw na paglabag ng ethical rules bilang abogado at may equivalent sanctions. Ibig sabihin niyan wlaang integridad ang affidavit na yan," she said. [The circumstances are too suspicious. It now appears the complainant executed her new affidavit in the office of the defense lawyers, assisted by defense lawyers. That is a clear violation of ethical rules and that has equivalent sanctions. And it means her new affidavit has no legal weight.] Worse, she said the new affidavit has damaged the case of the complainant. On the other hand, she questioned the “improper release" of the CA draft ruling of acquittal, which she said is meant to condition the public into thinking the case is over. Ursua said the OSG should have already questioned these things before the judiciary, yet it did not. “Ang abogado ng People of the Philippines ang OSG, hindi kami [The lawyer of the People of the Philippines is the OSG, not us]," she said. “Walang gumagalaw para protektahan ito, ang kasong ito di lang si Nicole involved dito. Beyond that wala na kaming magawa legally [Beyond this we cannot do anything else. No one else is moving to protect the interest of the people]," she added. - GMANews.TV