A disbarment complaint has been filed before the Supreme Court (SC) against a lawyer who allegedly conspired with former Palawan Gov. Joel Reyes and his brother, Coron Mayor Mario Reyes for the latter’s escape to Vietnam to evade prosecution for the murder of journalist and environmental activist Gerry Ortega.
In a 13-page complaint-affidavit filed at the SC’s Office of the Bar Confidant, Ortega’s daughter, Michaela,  asked the high court to conduct an administrative probe into the possible liabilities of lawyer Hermie Aban, whom she alleged to be instrumental in enabling the Reyes brothers to leave the country to evade arrest and accompanying the Reyeses to Vietman.
A Puerto Princesa Regional Trial Court (RTC) is hearing the murder case filed against the Reyes and has already issued a hold departure order (HDO) against the Reyes who, however managed to use forged passports to slip out of the country.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DA) earlier confirmed that the holder of the tampered electronic passport issued on a certain Joseph Lim Pe was indeed the former governor.
Pe left the country on March 18, together with Mario Reyes and on the same flight as lawyer Hermie Aban, bound for Vietnam.  
Ortega said that Aban was seated beside the Reyes brothers in their flight to Vietnam, as confirmed by the Vietnam Immigration Office. Recently, the Reyes brothers were sighted in Thailand.
Ortega said that Aban is liable for knowingly concealing the whereabouts of the Reyes brothers despite the standing warrants for their arrest.
“It is my family’s belief that the Reyes brothers would not have been able to evade arrest if they were not, in any way, assisted unlawfully. It is fundamental to the battle we have waged against injustice to continue to hold the guilty liable to their actions,” said Michaela Angeli Ortega in a statement.
Ortega said that during the court hearings last April 26, May 29 and June 8, Aban had entered his appearance as counsel for accused Arturo Regalado, and who even filed a petition in court to post bail on behalf of Regalado, but he never once mentioned about the whereabouts of the accused Reyes brothers.
Aside from the arrest warrants and HDO issued by the Puerto Princesa RTC, Aban also disregarded the government’s bounty for the capture of the accused brothers, in addition to the International Police’s Red Notice and the cancellation of their passports for being fugitives from justice.
With his silence, the government was led to believe that they were just hiding in the country, when Aban knew for a fact that they had already escaped to elude arrest. For this, Ortega said, Aban grossly violated the Code of Professional Responsibility, and is even liable for obstruction of justice.
“His act of aiding the escape of these two accused and subsequent concealment of their whereabouts is clearly an obstruction of justice for which he should be criminally held liable. The fact that he is a member of the bar aggravates this offense, rendering him unworthy to be part of the very noble profession,” the complaint stated.