Judge cautions lawyer on talking to witness

Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Macaundas Hadjirasul yesterday scolded the lawyer of a police official, who is facing a criminal case for allegedly planting evidence because he reportedly threatened a prosecution witness to discourage him from testifying against his client.

Hadjirasul reprimanded lawyer Noel Archival in open court after Ombudsman prosecutor Eduardo Kangleon complained that his witness Ponciano Ybarita was threatened by Archival inside the courtroom by saying, “ If you will testify against my clients, it would mean that you are against the police.”

But Archival quickly denied that he threatened Ybarita, although he admitted that he talked with the prosecution witness just before the start of the court proceedings.

“I just told him to tell only the truth and not to lie when he will testify before the court,” Archival told Hadjirasul.

The judge, however, told the Ombudsman prosecutor that it is up to him if he would file charges against Archival.

Hadjirasul also reminded Archival that the lawyers should not talk to the witnesses of the adverse parties as a matter of ethics.

Archival is the counsel of Sr. Insp. Jose Liddawa, SPO2s Lorenzo Pitogo, William Reed and two other police officers only identified as Embarze and Caballero. All of them are facing criminal charges for allegedly planting a pack of shabu as evidence against a certain Dario Lopez.

Lopez’ house in sitio Luay in barangay Sapangdaku was raided by the policemen under Liddawa, but Ybarita yesterday said he could identify those police officers who reportedly planted the incriminating evidence because it was dark that time. — Rene U. Borromeo/NLQ