Sereno begins using new SUV
CHIEF Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno has begun using the P5.1-million sport utility vehicle (SUV) cited in the impeachment
complaint against her as evidence of her supposed “lavish lifestyle,” TheManila
Times has learned.
TheTimes was able to snap a photo of the pearl- white Toyota Land Cruiser parked at the Supreme Court complex in Manila. It had a siren and blinkers.
A well- placed court source told TheTimes the original request of Sereno was to procure a more expensive car – a Chevrolet Suburban SUV.
Chevrolet dealers, however, did not join the bidding. As a result, the court’s Bids and Awards Committee settled for a Land Cruiser, whose cost was pegged at P5.1 million, excluding bulletproofing.
The source said that the committee did not hold a bidding security matter and also because it had yet to be approved by the full court or en banc. It tossed the Chief Justice.
Car experts earlier told The Times that SUV bulletproofing could cost about P3 million to P4 million.
Sereno’s new car, bought from Toyota Makati, therefore could have cost P9 million.
The complainant in Sereno’s impeachment complaint, lawyer Lorenzo Gadon, claimed the chief justice used public funds to - ing in posh hotels overseas and purchasing an expensive SUV as her service vehicle.
Gadon also claims she obstructed justice by instructing a Muntinlupa court not to issue a warrant of arrest against Sen. Leila de Lima on drug- related charges.
Moreover, Sereno supposedly failed to pay taxes on her attorney’s fees, embellished her credentials, practiced favoritism and usurped powers reserved to the en banc, such as the appointment of personnel.