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Businessman in illegal gambling case pleads not guilty
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Posted on Nov 23 1999
Businessman Cheung Pin Ying pled not guilty to the illegal gambling charges filed against him by the Attorney General’s Office before the Superior Court.
But his lawyer Joseph Arriola, who has been disqualified by Superior Court Associate Judge Timothy Bellas from defending Cheung and his eight other clients accused in the criminal case, was not there to represent him.
Instead, a lawyer from the Atalig law firm temporarily took over his job. Mr. Arriola was barred from representing Mr. Cheung after Judge Bellas ruled that a lawyer who is working as a legal counsel for the government cannot represent a private client who is questioning the decision of that government entity before the court.
He said he is filing an appeal on the court’s ruling before the Supreme Court today. “I hope the Supreme Court will make a decision immediately because my client has been deprived of his right to speedy trial and get a counsel of his own choosing,” said Mr. Arriola.
Mr. Arriola, who works as Senate legal counsel, is also serving on the Board of Parole, but Judge Bellas did not find any conflict with Mr. Arriola’s board position and his private practice. He is also representing Cheung, a co-plaintiff of former Senate President Juan S. Demapan in the $3 million civil lawsuit alleging illegal arrest and seizure of properties.
The AGO had sought Arriola’s disqualification from the case on grounds that he violated the Government Ethics Act which prohibits public officials and employees from representing individuals contesting a government entity in a court case.
Mr. Arriola’s client was among the nine persons arrested during a raid conducted by a team from the AGO Investigative Unit at East Ocean. The team also seized gambling paraphernalia and business properties.
