Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno INQUIRER.net / Noy Morcoso
Lawyer Lorenzo “Larry” Gadon has expressed doubts that Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno is too busy to attend the House of Representatives justice committee hearing, which will determine the probable cause in her impeachment case.
“Nanghihinayang ako na si Chief Justice Sereno ay ayaw umattend at ang dinadahilan niya ay sobrang busy daw siya,” Gadon said in an interview before the start of the inquiry on Wednesday.
(I really regret that Chief Justice Sereno opted not to attend [the hearing] and her reason is that she’s very busy.)
“Pero ayon naman doon sa mga nakakausap ko na mga tao sa Supreme Court, bihira nga siya pumasok e. In fact, yesterday pumasok siya after lunch pa. Naikwento nila sa akin na bihirang-bihira siya pumasok kaya hindi totoo yung sinasabi niya na sobrang busy siya,” he added.
(But according to people I talked to at the Supreme Court, she seldom goes to work. In fact, yesterday she reported for work after lunch already. They told me that she is seldom going to the office that is why I don’t believe she is very busy.)
Gadon, who filed the impeachment case against Sereno, accused her of giving “obvious alibis” to skip the hearing.
“Nanghihinayang ako sapagkat magiging mabilis sana ang proseso kung nandito siya kasi siyempre hindi na kailangan mag-refer kung saan-saan,” he said.
(I regret this because the whole process should have been very swift if she would have been here because [the committee] shall refer directly to her and not to anyone else.)
“At least siya na mismo ang matatanong, at dito, lalabas talaga ang mga kasinungalingan niya. Lalo na sa mga interview na talagang halatang-halata namin na puro palusot at mga kasinungalingan ang mga sinasabi niya,” he added.
(We can ask her directly here and we can flush out every lies. Even the interviews that were very obvious we can find out that she’s is just making alibis.)
Meanwhile, the lawyer-complainant said he is prepared to present witnesses against the chief magistrate, some of them justices and former justices of the Supreme Court, Sandiganbayan and Court of Appeals.
“Yung sinasabi niya na perjurious daw ang aking mga statement, pag-isipan niya (She should think about it when she said that what I am saying is perjurious),” he said of Sereno.
Gadon is accusing Sereno of culpable violation of the Constitution, corruption, other high crimes, and betrayal of public trust.
READ: Gadon hits Sereno’s ‘delaying tactics’ on impeachment case
The House justice committee has deemed the complaint sufficient in form, substance and grounds.
The panel invited the chief justice but she skipped the Wednesday’s hearing and is being represented by her lawyers, which she said, is part of her basic rights. /jpv
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