One of so-called ‘ma’am arlene’ to testify on judiciary fixer probe

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–The Supreme Court has called on one of the so-called “ma’am Arlene,” an alleged fixer in the judiciary, to appear in their investigation.

Its ad hoc committee chaired by Associate Justice Marvic Leonen said Arlene Angeles Lerma should appear in their 14th meeting.

But the briefer sent by the high court’s information office on Friday said the schedule and other details of the meeting were confidential “to allow greater freedom on the part of resource persons to speak and to give the committee members the flexibility to probe more deeply.”

Lerma’s name has been cropping up as one of the possible “Ma’am Arlene.”

Lerma has not surfaced to clear her name.

The SC committee has had 13 sessions, so far, and received sworn statements from 32 resource persons, among them members and employees of the judiciary and other public officials.

“The committee has also been relying on information provided by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), which has been in close coordination with the Investigating Committee. All these documents, information and tips have allowed the committee to pursue independently other sources of information,” the high court said, in a press statement.

A preliminary report to the SC en banc will be submitted by the committee during the high court’s summer session.

The other members of the committee are retired Supreme Court Justices Alicia Austria-Martinez and Romeo Callejo.