Sereno camp planning to file perjury raps vs. Gadon

A lawyer of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno said on Saturday they may file a perjury complaint against Lorenzo "Larry" Gadon over the disputed referencing of one of his allegations against the top magistrate.

Joshua Santiago, a part of Sereno’s legal team, confirmed to reporters on the sidelines of a news briefing that they are considering filing the complaint “possibly within the next few days, or within the next one or two weeks.”

Justice committee chair Reynaldo Umali had said Gadon “may be liable for perjury” because he apparently swore under oath that he got an information against Sereno from Manila Times senior reporter Jomar Canlas.

The information was about a temporary restraining order on further proclaiming party-list winners in the May 2013 elections, which Gadon alleged Sereno had tampered with.

Gadon said Canlas told him that the information came from Associate Justice Teresita de Castro, who had denied the claim.

Umali said Canlas will be summoned to attend the next hearings. Gadon, meanwhile, had vowed De that Castro would testify in his favor.

Aldwin Salumbides, also a lawyer and spokesperson for Sereno, said that De Castro’s possible appearance at the hearing will  “have impact” on the case, but her testimony should have “substance” and “veracity.”

But even a potential testimony has already been “blunted” by De Castro’s written statement in denying she was the source of Canlas’ information, said Salumbides.

Gadon, for his part, has claimed his statements are not perjurious because it was only the source of the information and not the existence of the documents itself that was denied.

He had admitted that he did not verify the information with De Castro.

The House panel on Wednesday started the hearing on the probable cause to pursue the impeachment complaint against Sereno. It has scheduled the next hearing this coming Monday until Wednesday. —ALG, GMA News