41 Phil. 275 – >Legal Ethics – Lawyer’s in Good Standing – Moral Turpitude
Carlos Basa is a young lawyer convicted of the crime of abduction with consent. He was sentenced to two years, eleven months, and eleven days of imprisonment. The Solicitor General asked for Basa’s disbarment based on his commission of a crime involving moral turpitude.
ISSUE: Whether or not the crime abduction with consent involves moral turpitude.
HELD: Yes. Crimes of this character do involve moral turpitude. The inherent nature of the act is such that it is against good morals and the accepted rule of right conduct. Moral turpitude includes everything which is done contrary to justice, honesty, modesty, or good morals. A lawyer convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude (at that time) may be suspended or disbarred. Basa was declared to be suspended for one year immediately after he finished serving his sentence. The SC chose compassion. They did not want Basa’s career to be ruined.
