Supreme Court Associate Justice Mario Victor Leonen will have to contend with another impeachment complaint next year when the current leadership in the House of Representatives is no longer in power.
“We can try another impeachment case next year in a more receptive House leadership, “ lawyer Larry Gadon said on Thursday, Sept. 2.
. Gadon acted as one of the lawyers who assisted impeachment complainant Edwin Cordevilla in pursuing the ouster of Leonen.
On Wednesday, the Lower House voted to approve the Committee on Justice recommendation to junk Cordevilla’s complaint.
The House panel chaired by Leyte Rep Vicente “Ching” Veloso said it cannot act on the impeachment case which were mainly based on newspaper articles that could be considered as ‘mere hearsay.” Gadon assailed the Lower House decision, pointing out that the justice panel could have subpoenaed records from the SC and other offices to confirm the truth behind the issues raised against Leonen.
He also raised issue on the objectivity of the House leadership, noting that Speaker Lord Allan Velasco took his “own sweet time” before deciding to refer the complaint to the justice committee.
Cordevilla accused Leonen of culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust for allegedly failing to file on several occasions his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net worth and for allegedly delaying resolution of 37 SC cases and several HRET cases assigned to him.
“In the Sereno impeachment , i also submitted xerox copies of evidences .. but the committee issued subpoenas to the Supreme Court to produce the original documents and even invited the SC Justices to testify,” Gadon recounted, referring to the complaint he filed against former Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno.
In the Sereno complaint, the justice committee “also summoned the BIR officials to produce original documents as well as UP administration to bring the original documents.” “An ordinary citizen like Ed Cordevillas has no power to secure original copies nor access to original documents from the SC , BIR and UP for that matter,” Gadon explained.
“I do not understand why the Committee on Justice departed from the established Sereno processes where xerox copies attached in the complaint were relied on and on that basis subsequently issued subpoenas to SC , BIR and UP,” he said.
According to him the House panel “has all the inherent and plenary powers” to issue subpoena duces tecum to secure the documents needed “for the purpose of ascertaining the truth.,” “We will try filing another impeachment case after a one year ban hopefully under a new and more receptive House leadership,” the lawyer said.