A newsman on Monday sought on Monday the removal of Supreme Court Associate Justice Mario Victor (Marvic) Leonen thru impeachment, alleging that the High Court magistrate is guilty of culpable violation fo the Constitution and betrayal of public trust.
Complainant Edwin Cordevilla was assisted by lawyer Larry Gadon in filing the complaint before the office of House Secretary General Mark Llandro Mendoza. Ilocos Norte Rep. Angelo Barba, cousin of former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. endorsed the complaint.
Gadon said Marcos, whose vice presidential election protest before the Presidential Electoral Tribunal is being handled by Leonen, has nothing to do with the complaint.
“Congressman Barba endorsed the complaint because Ed (Cordevilla) is a constituent in the second district of Ilocos Norte,” explained Gadon, who was also instrumental in the ouster of former Chief Justice Ma. Loudes Sereno in 2017.
Cordevilla, who writes for a business news daily, said Leonen violated the 1987 Constitution for sitting on dozens of cases for over two years.
According to Gadon. the complainant noted that Leonen has failed to dispose of 37 cases in the Supreme Court which is a “contravention of the Constitutional mandate that cases should be decided within 24 months from the time it is submitted for resolution.”
“Clearly, respondent (has) committed culpable violation of the constitution for arbitrarily, willfully, intentionally, deliberately and malevolently failing to resolve the cases within the required reglamentary period,” the complaint read.
Asked why they resorted to impeachment, instead of asking the High Court to impose disciplinary action against Leonen for failing to resolve the cases on time, Gadon told reporters that the magistrate does not deserve a light punishment for alleged grave offenses.
“What we want is for him to be removed from the High Court,” Gadon told a press conference.
Many of the “aging” cases were assigned to Leonen “almost eight years ago,” the complainant said.
According to Gadon the complaint also cited Leonen’s inability to speed up resolution of 34 election protest cases filed before the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal that the magistrate chairs.
Leonen, according to the complaint, had betrayed public trust for failing to file his Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth during his tenure at tjhe University of the PHilippines.
“This also negates the probity and integrity required of him as a member of the judiciary,” the impeachment complaint added.
The filing of SALN which is provided under Republic Act NO. 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employes, was a similar allegation contained in the impeachment complaint against Sereno.
Gadon, who was the principal complainant in the Sereno impeachment case, said there are no records indicating that Leonen filed his SALN from 1989 to 2003 and 2008-2009 or a total 15 years.