Topacio

One of Ms. Arroyo's lawyers, Ferdinand Topacio, said the national election commission's move to charge Ms. Arroyo in court was conducted with "indecent haste" and reflected what he described as "an emerging pattern of persecution."

Former Philippine President Charged With Electoral Fraud James Hookway 2011

Mr. Topacio sees no contradiction between his advocacy of the rule of law and his admiration of Hitler, who is viewed by historians as a genocidal dictator who operated outside the law and violently crushed political dissent.

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Mr. Topacio, who represents the former president's husband, but who has served as a spokesman for both Arroyos in recent months, is a respected lawyer and constitutional expert known for taking on controversial cases.

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Ferdinand Topacio, a lawyer representing Mr. Arroyo in his corruption case, accused Mr. Aquino of resorting to questionable tactics that will have long-term negative implications.

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"He was a ruthless autocrat, but you can't help but admire some of his personal traits," Mr. Topacio said.

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"But he didn't know when to stop," Mr. Topacio said.

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Mr. Topacio noted that Hitler had achieved a series of diplomatic successes, helping Germany rise from the ruins after World War I to a position of power in the late 1930s.

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"If you are removing the chief justice so you can convict the president, that is a short-sighted view of our system and our Constitution," said Ferdinand Topacio, a lawyer representing Mr. Arroyo in his corruption case.

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MANILA - Not long into an interview, Ferdinand Topacio, a key member of the legal team defending

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"Contrary to what President Aquino thinks, what is popular is not always right," Mr. Topacio said.

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