Justices Carpio, Sereno asked to inhibit selves

Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Saying that they were considered to be in line to succeed Chief Justice Renato Corona, two prominent lawyers on Monday asked Supreme Court Justices Antonio Carpio and Ma. Lourdes Sereno to inhibit themselves from the deliberations on the petitions seeking to stop Corona’s impeachment trial in the Senate.

Lawyers Homobono Adaza and Alan Paguia in a motion said Carpio and Sereno had “interests” in the outcome of the pending petitions and “could not be impartial in casting their votes” on the eventual ruling of the tribunal.

“Justices Carpio and Sereno could become the next chief justice if Chief Justice Corona is convicted. It is known in legal and media circles that Sereno is a favorite of the President,” Adaza told reporters after filing the motion Monday afternoon.

The petition noted that Carpio had long been considered Corona’s rival for the post of Chief Justice even before then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo chose Corona.

The petition said that trimedia had disclosed, as a result of Chief Justice Corona’s recent speech that there were three high-ranking government officials responsible for the filing of impeachment charges against him, that Carpio was one of the persons behind the filing of the impeachment complaint.

Adaza added that Carpio and Sereno “put Corona in a bad light” when they released their statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) while Corona was being assailed in the media for not releasing his SALN. Philip C. Tubeza