The Supreme Court has released internal documents requested by a lawyer who has been pushing for the impeachment of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.
In an order dated Aug. 15, the Supreme Court approved the request of lawyer Lorenzo Gadon to get hold of 20 court documents that included the Chief Justice’s statements of assets liabilities and net worth (SALN), records of her foreign and domestic travels and documents about her custom-made bulletproof vehicle.
Failure to declare
Gadon has not yet submitted an impeachment complaint at the House of Representatives. But he earlier said that he would cite as a ground for impeachment Sereno’s supposed failure to declare her earnings as lawyer for the Philippine International Airport Terminals Co. and her purchase of a luxury vehicle using Supreme Court funds.
Gadon has also requested copies of Sereno’s administrative orders which she reportedly issued unilaterally as well as letters between Sereno and other justices.
The Supreme Court has already released the documents requested by the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) and the Vanguard of the Philippine Constitution Inc., which are also pushing for Sereno’s impeachment.
Impeachment complaint
The VACC has submitted an impeachment complaint but this has not been endorsed by a representative.
The Supreme Court has ordered the Clerk of Court to provide Gadon with Sereno’s SALNs from 2010 to present while withholding Sereno’s address and the names and addresses of her children; the documents about the purchase of a Toyota Land Cruiser 2017 model and two motorcycles for escort.
Sereno’s official domestic and foreign travels from 2012 to present, including a list of those who accompanied her and detailed expenses; the foreign travels of all lawyers assigned to Sereno’s office from 2012 to present, including their expenses and allowances, and the list of all consultants of the Supreme Court and Office of the Chief Justice from 2012 to the present and their respective contracts.