CEBU CITY – A case of large-scale estafa took a different twist when a warrant of arrest was issued against a female lawyer for allegedly “degrading and blemishing” the reputation of her fellow lawyer and the complainant.
Lawyer Estrella Elamparo voluntarily surrendered and posted P10,000 bail on Nov. 13. The arrest warrant was issued by the Regional Trial Court Branch 11 here.
The warrant was issued after Cebuano businessman Kaiser Tan and his lawyer Francis Amit filed two counts of cyber libel against Elamparo.
Elamparo is the legal counsel of Michelle Lim Go Chu who was charged by Tan for large-scale estafa.
Tan accused Chu and two others of defrauding him of P200 million in an alleged investment scam.
Tan and Amit filed charges against Elamparo when the lady lawyer allegedly made “malicious and defamatory statements” against them during a Zoom press conference on March 29 last year.
In their complaint, Tan and Amit said Elamparo “acted in bad faith” when she allegedly uttered in the virtual press briefing that “there is a glaring pattern of private complainant seeking the inhibition of judges who are ruling against him and coupled with the very suspicious death threats and attacks being received by these judges.”
Elamparo also cited a death threat allegedly received by a judge shortly after a motion filed by Amit was denied.
Tan filed the case against Elamparo’s client last year but no arrest has been made.
He has offered a P1-million cash reward to anyone who could provide information that would lead to Chu’s arrest.