NBI fails to catch 'ghost lawyer' outside LTO Bacolod
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 11/21/2008 1:24 AM
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Agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Bacolod City failed to catch an alleged "ghost lawyer" operating outside the Land Transportation Office (LTO) in the city.
The entrapment operation was brought about after "Helen" reported to the NBI that a certain Eduardo Javellana notarized a document that transfered the ownership of a vehicle even if Javellana was not a real lawyer.
"Helen" reported to the NBI that a motor vehicle she bought a few years back was already in the name of her former Australian live-in partner. It was found out that the deed of sale transferring the ownership of the car to her former partner was notarized by a certain Atty. Eduardo Javellana.
Javellana was reportedly operating right outside the Office of the Land Transportation Office in Bacolod, and a check with the Roll of Attorneys did not yield the said name.
The NBI took the case, and a surveillance operation was conducted outside the LTO.
During the surveillance operation, a woman who introduced herself as Javellana's secretary said her boss does not stay at the office, but she, as well as the neighboring kiosks outside the LTO, can notarize in his behalf.
This led the NBI to assume that "Eduardo Javellana" does not exist and the name was created to make money.
In the entrapment operation, NBI agents, through an asset, visited again the kiosk. His alleged secretary said however Javellana is "no longer an active lawyer" and instead recommended another lawyer. She also refused to receive the marked money prepared by NBI agents.
Though the operation was unsuccessful, NBI Bacolod Agent-in-Charge Mamerto Cortez said that it will serve as a lesson for everyone.
He added Javellana's victims might even suffer a double whammy since all transactions signed by the non-existent lawyer are illegal and those using them could be charged with falsification of public documents. With a report from Romeo Subaldo, ABS-CBN BAcolod
