Benhur Luy: Ex-counsel Baligod lacked time to assist in my legal cases

By ANDREO CALONZO, GMA News

Published March 6, 2014 10:08am

(Updated 10:29 a.m.) Principal pork barrel scam whistleblower Benhur Luy on Thursday cited "lack of time" as the reason for his decision to drop lawyer Levito Baligod as his main counsel.

At Thursday's Senate blue ribbon committee hearing on the pork barrel anomaly, Luy said Baligod was not able to assist him in the "numerous" legal cases he is facing.

"'Yung cases po [laban] sa akin, hindi nabigyan ng oras... Kailangan ko po iyon. Hindi po ako sanay na ako ang nagpa-file ng kaso at ako ang sinasampahan ng kaso," Luy said.

He added that Baligod rarely showed up when he needed to testify before government agencies.

"As a client, kailangan ko ho siya kapag humaharap po ako sa government agencies. Hindi siya [Baligod] nakakapunta," the whistleblower said.

Luy was accompanied by his new lawyer, Raji Mendoza, during the Senate inquiry. Baligod, who also serves as counsel for witness Dennis Cunanan, was not seen during the probe.

When asked if he and Baligod had a misunderstanding on how to handle the pork barrel case, Luy said, "Siya [Baligod] mismo ang dapat mag-answer noon."

In a letter he signed before the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Monday, Luy said he is dropping Baligod as counsel, saying the lawyer has been "very busy" with other advocacy.

But in an interview on GMA News' 24 Oras Tuesday night, Baligod denied being remiss in attending to the pork barrel scam case.

“Nai-deliver ng isang abogado yung mga legal requirements. Hindi tama yung rason niya [Luy] na napabayaan,” Baligod said.

Baligod also denied allegations that he was trying to control Luy from giving testimony that might implicate Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Gregory Ong in the pork barrel case.

Instead, said Baligod, he advised Luy not to give statements that he could not back with evidence. — LBG/RSJ, GMA News

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