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‘A story of twisted truths, facts’
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Posted on Jan 04 2005
Malite estate attorney Antonio Atalig yesterday denied that he depleted the trust account of another estate that is pending distribution through a probate court.
Atalig said the news article that reported on the trust account’s depletion is a “story of twisted truths and facts.”
“This matter is now before the court and it will be very different from the news article,” Atalig said.
Atalig, however, did not elaborate when asked if he made several withdrawals from the trust account for the estate of Ramona Satur Taisacan and if the withdrawals pertain to attorney’s fees.
He said he would make an official submission in court regarding the matter.
Ignacia Rogopes and Marcella Rabauliman, heirs of the late Taisacan, told the court that the trust account, which used to have deposits amounting to over $85,000, now only has some $6,000—a substantial depletion by more than 70 percent.
In the probate of Taisacan’s estate, Atalig is lawyer for the estate’s administrator, Leon Taisacan.
Rogopes and Rabauliman’s lawyer, Jane Mack, recently reported this discovery to the court. Mack said the trust account contains proceeds from the lease of a Garapan land belonging to the estate. The proceeds initially reached about $300,000, Mack said, but part of it was already distributed to the heirs.
A document submitted by Mack to the court shows that the trust account’s balance is at only $6,085.76. Mack said the account balance was $85,345.08 on June 30, 1997, allegedly the last date in which Atalig provided heirs with a copy of the account ledger.
After making verifications with the Bank of Guam, Mack reported that 16 withdrawals were made on the account from July 7, 1998 to July 28, 1999. At least two of these withdrawals in the amounts of $4,000 and $2,000 were redeposited, based on Mack’s document.
The first withdrawal made on the account took place on Jan. 7, 1998, wherein some $10,000 was drawn from the account. Sixteen days later, another withdrawal in the amount of $30,000 happened. Subsequent withdrawals of varying amounts resulted in the trust account’s depletion.
