Arrest warrant out for lawyer

CEBU, Philippines - After finding probable cause, the court ordered the issuance of a warrant of arrest against lawyer Luis Diores Jr. for allegedly pretending to facilitate an annulment case in exchange for money.

Judge Douglas Marigomen of Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 5 directed the authorities to serve the warrant of arrest within ten days upon receipt of his order.

Marigomen said after reading the information and supporting evidence he found that there was enough basis to issue a warrant of arrest.

Earlier, the Prosecutor’s Office elevated the estafa case before the court after Diores failed to file his counter-affidavit.

Prosecutor Rodulph Joseph Val Carillo recommended P24,000 bail for Diores.

In the complaint filed by Aileen Bell, she said she went to Diores’ office on the first week of November 2008 to seek counsel for annulment of marriage.

Bell said Diores accepted her case for a fee of P60,000 and P40,000 as down payment. She added Diores told her that he could facilitate and will have a court decision within a week.

She added that when they met, Diores gave her a photocopy of a court decision issued by Judge Olegario Sarmiento of RTC Branch 24 in Cebu City.

However, when she went to RTC Branch 24 to get an authenticated copy of the decision, she was told that no such case was filed, docketed, raffled off or pending before the court. —(FREEMAN)