A lawyer has been disbarred for collecting P230,000 from his clients supposedly to bribe Court of Appeals justices in a land recovery case.
In a 12-page decision, the Supreme Court resolved to impose the ultimate administrative penalty of disbarment against Ferdinand Ancheta who had been found guilty of gross misconduct in violation of the Lawyer’s Oath and the Code of Professional Responsibility.
The SC also ordered Ancheta to return to his clients—spouses Gabino and Flordeliza Tolentino —the P230,000, with legal interest at 12 percent per annum from the date of demand on September to June 2013 and at 6 percent per annum from July 2013 until full payment.
Court records showed that the Tolentino couple filed the disbarment complaint against Ancheta, who was their lawyer in a civil case involving a parcel of land in Laguna.
Ancheta, who took on the case for a P30,000 acceptance fee, allegedly promised the couple that there was still a remedy against the adverse CA ruling.
The lawyer asked for P200,000 purportedly to be used for making arrangements with the CA justices handling their case.
The complainants deposited the money to Ancheta’s bank account, only to learn that no motion to reopen case had been filed and that the CA ruling had become final and executory.
“Atty. Ancheta’s deceit and evasion of duty is manifest, having accepted the case though he knew the futility of an appeal. Atty. Ancheta’s violations show that he is unfit to discharge the duties of a member of the legal profession. Hence, he should be disbarred,” the Supreme Court said.