Suspension on retired SC justice lifted

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – After four years, the Supreme Court has lifted the suspension on law practice previously imposed on a retired high court justice.

“SC lifts suspension on law practice previously imposed on retired Supreme Court Justice Ruben Reyes for, among others humanitarian reasons,” high court’s information chief Theodore Te said Thursday.

Reyes was meted with an indefinite suspension as a member of the Bar in 2009 for leaking an unpromulgated decision involving the questions on the citizenship of a member of Congress.

However, while Reyes can go back to private law practice, he is still disqualified from entering public service and barred from teaching law.

The Court found Reyes guilty of grave misconduct on February 24, 2009 for leaking his draft decision that would have unseated Negros Oriental Representative Jocelyn Limkaichong on the ground that she was a Chinese citizen.

Reyes, the high court in 2009 said, violated Rules 1.01 and 1.02 of Canon 1 of the Code of Professional Responsibility.

Reyes was among the highest member of the Bar sanctioned by the high court. Aside from Reyes, retired Supreme Court Justice Fidel Purisima was censured for failure to disclose that his nephew took the 1999 Bar Examination.

Two other Court of Appeals Justice were also dismissed, namely Associate Justice Demetriou Demetria and Vicente Roxas.