Marie Yuvienco: Collateral Issues - InterAksyon.com

Marie Yuvienco: Collateral Issues - InterAksyon.com

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Also, the House decision to hire private lawyers to assist in the prosecution has been criticized as a needless expenditure of public funds. Who will pay, critics ask.

In truth, I will not be surprised if either the prosecution or the defense is besieged by offers from private practitioners to assist pro bono. Participating in an impeachment trial is a considerable feather in the cap of any lawyer; not many attorneys can say, “Oh, I helped in impeaching a Chief Justice of the Philippines” or, “Have I mentioned that I obtained the acquittal of the Chief Justice during his impeachment?”

But, if the prosecution panel is allowed to use public funds to pay for private lawyers, I think the same accommodation should be given to the Chief Justice to assist him in his defense.

Fair is fair, I think."

Comment:

In regular administrative and criminal cases involving public officers and employees as respondents, the law does not grant them the special privilege of using public funds to fund the hiring of their private lawyers to defend their innocence. This rule should likewise apply in impeachment cases the end result of which, upon a conviction, is the dismissal of the respondent from public
service.