LOOK: Sereno’s letter for ‘indefinite leave’

Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno sent a letter on Tuesday to the Office of the Clerk of Court en banc indicating her intention to go on indefinite leave.

According to the letter, Sereno wanted to prepare for her defense once the impeachment complaint against her reached the Senate.

The House committee on justice has not decided on whether there was probable cause to impeach Sereno and forward the charges to the upper chamber.

READ: House committee to vote on probable cause in Sereno impeachment

While her letter branded the charges against her as “baseless,” the Chief Justice said she “[intended] to fully set out my defenses” in a Senate trial.

Sereno said the leave would be “until I shall have completed my preparation for the trial.”

The letter contradicted claims by one of her lawyers who said on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018, that her leave was “not indefinite.” The lawyer, Josa Deinla, said that the Chief Justice would only be on “wellness leave” from “March 1 to 15.” /cbb

READ: Sources say Sereno to go on ‘indefinite’ leave but CJ’s camp refutes it