Lawyer Claire Navarro Espina in a Facebook message to Inquirer Hollywood correspondent Ruben Nepales, said Nora Aunor was never convicted of a crime, let alone a crime involving drugs in the United States.
Espina, who defended the actress in the drug-related case in Los Angeles, said President Aquino was misinformed on the status of the case in California. She added that she will be pulling the court docket on this issue with the hope that it sheds light on the falsity of the claim of conviction.
Earlier, Aquino told the media that Aunor was dropped from the roster of national artists because she was “convicted” of drug possession. However Espina pointed out that the President’s decision to deny Aunor the national artist award based on an alleged drug conviction is incorrect.
The lawyer also expressed concern on the failure to get to the source of information to determine its accuracy prior to the official statement having been made. It bespeaks of a disregard for important details that matter in an already controversial issue, she added.
