The Court of Appeals has set the oral arguments for the contempt case filed by suspended Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay against Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, who earlier claimed that two of the court’s justices were bribed to issue a ruling in favor of Binay.
In a three-page resolution dated July 28, the appellate court’s Fifth Division scheduled the oral arguments at 2 p.m. on Aug. 14. “Be that as it may, we believe that there are matters to be clarified, hence, there is a need to set a hearing to allow parties to be heard and for this Court to propound clarificatory questions to the parties or their witnesses,” the resolution stated.
Concurring in the ruling were other division members Justices Ramon Paul Hernando and Maria Luisa Quijano-Padilla. Binay earlier asked the court to cite Trillanes in contempt over the latter’s claims that two justices of a separate division who heard the mayor’s petition asking the court to stop the Ombudsman from suspending him for alleged corruption received P25 million each.