EJ Obiena’s legal team is preparing to sue the person who damaged the Olympian pole vaulter and his family- specifically his mother. This is related to the athlete’s dispute with the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA).
According to Obiena’s legal spokesperson Atty. Bobbet Bruce, they study to accuse the people behind the involvement of Obiena’s mother, Jeanette, in the issue of slander or libel.
“Our legal team is also preparing our cases for people who have wronged EJ Obiena and his family. It’s all being studied now. His mom’s name has been also dragged into this, she’s being accused of taking money also. And she was accused publicly,” said Bruce in an interview with GMA News Online.
“Her name was mentioned so many times during the [PATAFA] press conference so we are looking at that. So if there’s a reason for us to file a case, then we will also file the appropriate action,” he added.
In a press conference on Tuesday, PATAFA said that Obiena’s mother, a former auditor of the athletics body, “misappropriated the amount of P624,116.76 she claimed from the PSC under the pretext that it is a reimbursement of the coaching fee paid to Vitaly Petrov for the months of January 2019 to March 2019. ”
EJ Obiena’s camp to file counter case for involving athlete’s mother
“The Estafa filed by PATAFA, these are funds coming from PATAFA. And those coming from PSC and public funds, we will refer that to PSC and to COA with our reports and attachments so that they’ll be the ones to file the case against EJ Obiena and Jeanette Obiena, the mother,” said Felix Tiukinhoy, member of PATAFA board of trustees.
He said the athlete’s camp would not ignore the allegation against Obiena’s mother.
“If they accused her of stealing money during the presscon, then it’s slander. If it’s written, it could be libel. We’re still looking at everything,” said Bruce.
“We are very careful with these things because it affects people’s lives,” he added.
Bruce also said that their attention is still focused on the planned case to be filed by PATAFA against Obiena, the number 6 pole vaulter in the world.