BSP complaint leads to arrest of fake lawyer

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) arrested a man posing as a lawyer while conducting business with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

NBI Director-in-Charge Eric Distor said Lamberto Payongayong was arrested by the NBI International Airport Investigation Division (NBI-AIAD) during a seizure operation on September 16 in Quezon City after the BSP complaint. He was immediately presented to the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office for an investigation for usurpation of authority in violation of article 177 of the Revised Penal Code.

“BSP conducted a verification and certification issued by the Office of the Confidant of Lawyers (OBC), the Supreme Court and the Integrated Bar Association of the Philippines (IBP) affirms that the subject PAYONGAYONG is not a member of the Bar Association of the Philippines,” he said the NBI in a statement. .

The NBI said that Payngayong had sent letters addressed to the governor of the BSP, Benjamin Diokno, and the manager of the BSP’s Monetary Integrity Staff (CIS), Henry De Vera, claiming to be “a trustee of a private individual involving a trust account that covers $ 300 Dodecallion that supposedly matured in 2007 and that he was seeking to be retired with the help of the BSP. “

The suspect also claimed to BSP that he is also “an assignee of a parcel of land covered by an original certificate of title that is allegedly being used by the Central Bank of the Philippines to support the printing of legal tender.”

After receiving the BSP complaint, NBI-IAID agents devised a plan to arrest the suspect who had been informed that “a response was ready for release and collection.”