2 SC justices may testify in Sereno impeachment

Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno (File photo by RAFFY LERMA/Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Two justices of the Supreme Court are willing to testify in the impeachment case against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, according to the lawyer who filed the complaint against her.

“There are two justices of the Supreme Court who are willing to testify but I can’t name them now,” Lorenzo Gadon told a forum in Quezon City, a day after 25 members of the House of Representatives endorsed his impeachment complaint against Sereno.

Both of the potential witnesses are men, while a third justice, a woman, may also be compelled to testify if called to the House or, at a later stage, the Senate acting as an impeachment court, Gadon said when pressed for details by reporters.

Confidential records

In the meantime, he said he was in the process of securing a number of confidential court records and other documents from the high tribunal to further establish wrongdoing on the part of Sereno.

“Out of the 22 documents I requested, the Supreme Court granted the release of 20 documents with such speedy dispatch,” Gadon said. “Even those some would say are confidential records were released, except for the minutes of an executive session.”

He said he was also seeking documents related to Sereno’s travel expenses, including hotel rates and the list of her companions, as well as her statement of assets, liabilities and net worth from 2010 to 2017.

Gadon said there was strong support from members of the House in his effort to unseat Sereno over a host of allegations, including her supposed failure to disclose her real wealth, her purchase of a luxury car with public funds, and her act of pressuring judges to defy the administration.

Separation of powers

Malacañang said on Wednesday it respected the House’s “exclusive power” to initiate impeachment cases and the separation of powers among the three branches of government.

“A verified complaint for impeachment may be filed by any citizen upon a resolution or endorsement by any member of the House of Representatives,” presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a statement.

“The Executive branch respects the separation of powers; and being their coequal, we recognize the exclusive power of the House of Representatives to initiate all cases of impeachment,” he added.

Gadon said 42 lawmakers actually wished to endorse his 54-page impeachment complaint, but many had left by the time he got to the House to get their signatures.

98 votes needed

A vote of one-third of the 293 members of the House is needed to send the articles of impeachment to the Senate, whose members will serve as judges in the trial.

This means the support of 98 House members is required to impeach Sereno.

“According to my discussions with the congressmen that I’ve been coordinating with, they can easily get that number,” Gadon said.

But he added that the congressmen wanted the House committee on justice to handle the case and determine its sufficiency in form and substance first before sending it to the Senate.

Under the rules, the articles of impeachment may be directly sent to the Senate once the required number is met.

In his complaint, Gadon accused Sereno of failing to declare P37 million in lawyer’s fees in her net worth, using public funds to buy a brand-new Toyota Land Cruiser 2017 worth P5 million as her personal vehicle, manipulating judicial appointments and pressuring judges to defy the administration.

Alleged transgressions

He cited as grounds of impeachment her alleged transgressions showing that she culpably violated the Constitution, betrayed the public trust, committed corrupt practices and other high crimes.

This is the second impeachment complaint against the Chief Justice at the House.

The first complaint was filed by the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption  and the Vanguard of the Philippine Constitution Inc. over Sereno’s alleged culpable violations of the Constitution for allegedly bypassing the Supreme Court en banc.—WITH A REPORT FROM PHILIP C. TUBEZA