Piatco, lawyers should be cited for contempt — Yasay

Former Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Perfecto Yasay said yesterday, "PIATCO and its lawyers should be cited for contempt of court three times over for embarrassing and degrading the Supreme Court."

This was prompted by PIATCO counsel FrankA Chavez’s remark that the Supreme Court decision declaring as void and illegal at PIATCO deals, as "legalized highway robbery."

Yasay said, "After Dec. 10 oral arguments, Chavez misled the public by misquoting the Honorable Court in claiming that they had a procedural victory, when they had none."

"Thereafter, the other counsel of record, Romulo, Mabanta, filed its Request for Arbitration before the Arbitral Court while the case was subjudice, in an attempt to shop for another forum which may be more sympathetic to their claims. We cannot expect a foreign arbitral court to interpret Philippine law. The Philippine Supreme Court has jurisdiction on the matter."

The last straw was the insulting statements hurled by Chavez at the High Tribunal, in response to the court’s ruling against his clients. "The court’s power to punish for contempt because of acts and statements which degrade the Court and impede the proper administration of justice is imposable on PIATCO and its lawyers. The court has made the PIATCO fiasco an example that it will not shrink from its responsibilities to strike down as illegal, contracts such as these. We shall urge the court to exercise its power of contempt as well in proper cases such as this," Yasay said.