Sereno unfazed, to snub House committee’s impeachment hearings | Inquirer News

Sereno unfazed, to snub House committee’s impeachment hearings

/ 02:40 PM November 21, 2017

Unperturbed by Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez’s warning, Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno maintained that she would never personally appear before any impeachment proceedings against her – whether at the House of Representatives or other venues.

On Tuesday afternoon, lawyers of Sereno submitted to the House committee on justice a letter stating her decision to not personally attend the impeachment hearings but to let her legal representatives attend the proceedings in her stead.

This, even after Alvarez warned on Monday that House leaders would ban Sereno’s lawyers from attending the hearings if the chief magistrate would not personally show up at the House justice committee’s hearing on Wednesday.

Article continues after this advertisement

Sereno executed a special power of attorney (SPA) authorizing her lawyers – Alexander Poblador, Dino Vivencio Tamayo, Anzen Dy, Justin Christopher Mendoza, Carla Pingui, Sandra Mae Magalang, Jayson Aguilar, Oswald Imbat, Enrico Edmundo Castello II, Charles Richard Avila Jr., and Patricia Geraldez – to represent her “in all stages of the impeachment proceedings” before the House justice committee handling the impeachment complaint filed against her by lawyer Larry Gadon.

FEATURED STORIES

The SPA also covers “all stages of any action or proceeding arising therefrom or related thereto, before any court, tribunal, agency, or body, including the House of Representatives, Senate, and the Supreme Court.”

In a letter addressed to House justice committee chairman Reynaldo Umali, her lawyers stressed that Sereno has the “right to appear through counsel and a denial thereof is a violation of due process.”

Article continues after this advertisement

“If the purpose of the invitation is to hear her side, please take note that in accordance with the rules of the honorable committee, the Chief Justice already aired her ‘side’ in detail and under oath, in her verified answer and verified rejoinder,” they said.   /kga

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

TAGS: House of Representatives, Impeachment

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our newsletter!

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

© Copyright 1997-2024 INQUIRER.net | All Rights Reserved

This is an information message

We use cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn more here.