Disbarment case vs Nograles dismissed

DAVAO CITY — House Majority Floor Leader Prospero Nograles welcomed the decision of the Integrated Commission for Bar Discipline (ICBD) dismissing the disbarment case filed against him in 2004.

"I welcome the decision. But I believe the case may have political color since it was filed during the elections in May 2004 and the complainant was known to be associated with the opposition," Nograles, who represents the city’s first congressional district, told The STAR in a text message.

Nevertheless, Nograles said he was happy that the ICBD dismissed for "lack of merit" the disbarment case filed by lawyer Mariano Santiago.

"At any rate, I still have a license to practice and I am happy not to have been removed from the roll of lawyers," he said.

Actually, the rift between Nograles and Santiago was settled as early as May 2005 when the two met in a mandatory conference where Santiago agreed to withdraw the complaint.

Santiago accused Nograles of allegedly maligning and discrediting his integrity as a lawyer when the lawmaker reportedly gave a statement to the media tagging him in a case against a known drug lord, Yu Yuk Lai.

Santiago also claimed that Nograles was quoted in an article in a tabloid sometime in 2004 alleging that the complainant was also a partner in Glasgow, a company allegedly involved in a pyra—miding scam.

But Nograles denied ever issuing any statement to any reporter which led to the publication of the article that Santiago had cited.

In the first place, Nograles said he could not have said anything against Santiago because he did not know him when the article came out.