The lawyer of Barbara Tulop, who was earlier cleared of misconduct in Public Office charges, is urging the Senate to revisit the law creating the Special Prosecutor ’s Office.
Tulop’s Attorney Quay Polloi, in a letter addressed to Sen. Uduch Sengebau Senior, said that there is an appearance of impropriety committed by the Special Prosecutor’s office that warrants an amendment of the law involving the SP’s powers.
“ I recently defended Barbara Tulop and some issues came up which were very disturbing, and which I hope as policymakers you could address in the law creating the SP Office,” Polloi said.
Polloi said there is a need to change the law and bar the SP from requesting arrest warrants in “non-violent white-collar cases.”
He said his client’s case involved only one felony count for which Barbara was found not guilty, while the rest were misdemeanor charges, but the SP ordered Tulop and her children’s arrests, and because it was done later in the day, his client had to spend a night in jail.
“This is demeaning and undignified for a retired widower with no criminal history who was asked to do public service as a Board member. She relented and agreed to serve but the very Republic, through the President, that asked her to serve then turns around and stabs her in the back.”
Polloi also alleged that SP April Dawn Cripps engaged in improper selective prosecution when his client was not given the constitutional right to confront her accuser.
“The SP simply sent her investigator to the Ethics Commission to get Barbara’s disclosure form and also asked the tax office to do an assessment on Barbara. What triggered all of this? It became ever more apparent, particularly at trial, that the SP is a regular customer at the Gelato Shop and even holds office meetings at the Gelato Shop. Her star witness against Barbara is the Gelato Shop owner Mr. Stefano Tansella. There is an appearance of impropriety in that the SP was doing a favor for a friend,” he said.
The attorney for Tulop also asked the Senate to ensure that the law requires the SP to follow Executive Branch policies and practices and allow potential defendants the chance to be heard before filing criminal charges against them.
Polloi said the tax office gives an opportunity for a taxpayer to be heard before the matter is taken to the Attorney General’s office.
The attorney also asked the Senate to prevent the SP from issuing press releases before the trial or a plea deal has been done.
He said during his client’s arrest the SP reportedly issued a press release on the matter that subjected Mrs. Tulop to prejudice ahead of the trial.