MANILA, Philippines — The lawyer of dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo denied lying about her whereabouts, noting that he is just “fully relying” on what his client told him.
Lawyer Stephen David made the statement on Friday after government agencies threatened to press charges against him for claiming that Guo is still in the country.
“I vehemently deny that I made untruthful statements in the media regarding her whereabouts,” David said in a statement.
“The Media can attest to the fact that in all my interviews, I consistently say that I am fully relying on what my client has told me. In other words, I was merely echoing her declaration that she is still in the country,” he also said.
Shiela Guo, earlier identified as the sister of Alice, said that she and the embattled mayor slipped out of the country sometime in the first week of July, contradicting the claims of David and the Bureau of Immigration (BI) that Alice was still in the Philippines at the time.
David, however, said that he trusted his client’s divulgence “in good faith.”
“I relied on our client’s representations and disclosures in good faith, trusting in the accuracy and honesty of the information provided for the purpose of defending and/or protecting their causes and rights,” David said. “Consistent with my high respect for attorney-client privilege and our fiduciary relationship, I ensure fidelity to my clients and repose my trust in them.”
David maintained that he never said he “personally saw” or met Guo, adding that his communication with her was only through phone calls.
READ: Alice Guo’s legal team insists she’s still in the Philippines
David also defended Elmer Galicia, the notary public, who also claimed that he saw Guo in the country on Aug. 14, weeks after Guo already left the country.
“Further, as to the notarization of Mayor Guo’s Counter-Affidavit, while Atty. Elmer Galicia, the Notary Public, is not from our law firm, we put our confidence on his integrity and we believed in the regularity in the notarization of the document,” he said “This bolster[ed] my belief that our client was still then in the country.”
The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission said it aims to file criminal charges against Galicia.
Currently, Guo is in Jakarta, Indonesia, according to BI.
The former mayor has been the subject of scrutiny over her alleged ties to the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator in Bamban town.