Sereno says charges are false, seeks dismissal of raps
Supreme Court (SC) Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno sought the dismissal of the impeachment complaint against her, saying the charges are false and do not constitute the grounds for impeachment under the Constitution.
Sereno, through her lawyers, yesterday filed her verified answer to lawyer Larry Gadon’s allegations against her before the House of Representatives.
“This is nothing short of an impeachment exercise based on fake news,” she stated.
In a press conference after the filing, Sereno’s lead counsel Alex Poblador said the allegations are not based on personal knowledge or authentic records, but on “hearsay” derived from news reports or articles.
While there are certified true copies of relevant documents procured from the SC, these documents do not necessarily support nor substantiate the allegations, he added.
“In this answer, we asked that the complaint be dismissed for two reasons. Firstly, the charges alleged are false. Secondly, they do not constitute acts which the Constitution provides for impeachment,” Poblador said.
He called on the House justice committee to accord Sereno the full exercise of her rights.
Gadon, who filed the impeachment raps, accused Sereno of concealing part of her wealth from her Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net worth, unilaterally deciding on some of the high court’s matters, and living a lavish lifestyle by purchasing a P5-million vehicle.
Another impeachment complaint was filed and heard by the House justice panel but it failed to satisfy the standards set by the previous proceedings.
In her reply, Sereno reminded lawmakers of using the “extraordinary powers of impeachment” to dignify false claims.
“The extraordinary power of impeachment is not meant to be an excuse to investigate a coequal branch for the purpose of substantiating what is in the first place not true,” said Sereno.
Her lawyers said Sereno will not resign. “She will fight this to the end and more. She is resilient, she will stay on,” lawyer Jojo Lacanilao said.