Miriam wants Baligod disbarred for releasing Luy 'pork' scam list

Lawyer Levito Baligod, former counsel of principal pork barrel scam whistleblower Benhur Luy, should be disbarred for supposedly releasing a list of lawmakers involved in the alleged P10-billion anomaly, Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago said Friday.

In a statement, Santiago, who was reported to be among the lawmakers on Luy's list of alleged pork barrel scam conspirators, said she is considering initiating disbarment proceedings against Baligod.

The senator accused Baligod of committing libel when he reportedly "concocted" and "distributed" Luy's digital files without the consent of his former client.

"Scums like Baligod and his conspirators think nothing of destroying my reputation.  If there is any justice in this world, Baligod and his backers should be drawn, quartered, and their severed heads hung from the highest Rizal Park flagpoles,” Santiago said Friday.

GMA News Online sent a text message to Baligod to get his reaction to Santiago's statements, but he has yet to respond as of posting time.

The senator further said Baligod should also be called to the Senate hearing on the alleged pork barrel scam "to settle criminal responsibility" for the release of Luy's list.

Luy's list

The Philippine Daily Inquirer has been running a series of reports this week based on Luy's digital files from a hard drive, which was reportedly turned over to the newspaper by the whistleblower's family members, accompanied by Baligod, in April last year.

Luy's current lawyer Rajji Mendoza, however, had questioned the authenticity of the hard drive, which was supposedly handed to the newspaper without his client's consent.

Aside from Santiago, the Inquirer said the following senators had deals with alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles based on Luy's records: Franklin Drilon, Ralph Recto, Alan Peter Cayetano, JV Ejercito, Cynthia Villar, Lito Lapid, Aquilino Pimentel III, Loren Legarda, Gringo Honasan, Vicente "Tito" Sotto III, Juan Ponce Enrile, Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon Bong Revilla Jr.

Most of the senators included in supposed Luy's list had denied transacting with Napoles involving their pork barrel funds.

On Tuesday, Santiago, who earlier described Luy's files as "definitive and substantiated," changed her tune by dismissing the whistleblower's records as "nothing but mudslinging."

Luy's revelations on the alleged pork barrel scam have prompted the Office of the Ombudsman to recommend plunder charges against Revilla, Estrada, Enrile and Napoles for supposedly pocketing millions of pesos in "kickbacks" from alleged misuse of pork barrel funds. — LBG, GMA News