Sereno camp: Impeachment at House ‘imminent’ in lopsided game

The camp of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno on Sunday conceded that the high magistrate will be impeached at the House of Representatives, but pointed out that she was treated unfairly in the chamber.

In a Super Radyo dzBB interview, lawyer Josa Deinla, one of chief justice's spokespersons, admitted that Sereno's impeachment in the House of Representatives is "imminent."

"Hindi naging patas yung pagtrato sa kanya, hindi kinilala yung kanyang mga karapatan sa ilalim ng Konstitusyon. Kaya sa huli, ang aming pagtingin diyan, she will be impeached," she said.

The House Committee on Justice will vote on Thursday on the probable cause on the impeachment complaint lodged against Sereno.

But even before the impeachment proceedings of the committee began, Sereno's lawyers wrote to panel chair Reynaldo Umali to allow the chief justice to cross-examine the witness to be presented through her counsels.

The House panel, however, denied her legal counsel the chance to conduct the cross-examination on her behalf.

But Deinla said they would continue to assert the Sereno's rights in the Senate.

"Patuloy kaming naninindigan na igigiit yung kanyang karapatan sa Senado bilang akusado." 

"Dito may tiwala naman kami na kikilalanin lahat ng kanyang karapatan para maging patas yung magiging paglilitis," she added.

Deinla, however, said that it is still uncertain whether Sereno would personally appear in the looming Senate impeachment trial.

"Yung desisyon kung siya mismo yung haharap, hindi pa namin alam kasi si Chief Justice lang yung makakapagpasiya niyan. Again, it's a personal decision. But definitely, her lawyers will be there at the outset and until the end to represent her."

Sereno is currently on "indefinite leave" from her duties in the Supreme Court to prepare herself for the Senate impeachment trial.

She, however, maintained that she will not resign, and even challenged her detractors to bring the case already to the Senate.

"I ask only one thing from the political leaders, only one thing: Give me my day in the Senate impeachment court or admit that there is no probable cause," Sereno said in an event at the University of Baguio last Friday.

"If they were so sure of their evidence even to the point of perjuring themselves with baseless accusations that they can prove that I committed a harvest of sins against the people, why not bring it to the Senate?" she added. —LBG, GMA News