MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte has appointed two lawyers as deputy commissioners of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), one of them a former lawyer of alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles.

Malacañang announced the appointments of Lanee Cui-David and Jesus Clint Aranas  on Thursday, July 14.

Cui-David was one of the lawyers hired by Napoles to defend her and her children in cases related to the pork barrel scam, the biggest corruption scandal in recent Philippine history. It involved the connivance of lawmakers and other government officials with Napoles, who used bogus her nongovernmental organizations to siphon public funds.

Cui-David is part of the David, Cui-David, Buenaventura and Ang Offices, the law firm Napoles turned to when her first lawyer, Lorna Kapunan, quit.

Aranas, meanwhile, is a tax lawyer known in the business world for his extensive experience in dealing with the BIR.

He also helped out in Duterte’s presidential campaign and served as national treasurer of Duterte’s political party, PDP-Laban.

Aranas studied law at Siliman University. He obtained his commerce degree from the Philippine School of Business Administration.

He gained experience in tax and corporate consultancy from SGV & Company, Philippines. At one point, he worked as a legal assistant of the late senator Raul Roco. – Rappler.com