Private prosecutors in Sereno impeach trial ‘pro bono,’ says Umali

House Committee on Justice chair Reynaldo Umali on Tuesday said the lawyers who volunteered as private prosecutors in the looming Senate impeachment trial of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno are doing it free of charge.

In an interview with reporters, Umali confirmed that the lawyers who expressed willingness to be part of the private prosecution panel are "pro bono."

"They are litigators. I'm sure they know their law, they know their case, and they know their evidence," he said.

"Sinasabi ni Chief Justice, sinasabi ng camp niya na wala kaming kaso, hindi naman siguro sasama ang mga ito kung sa tingin nila walang kaso," he added.

Umali had earlier said that former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile is being considered as part of the private prosecution team.

"He has already expressed his willingness to be part of the team. Wala pang definition of what will be the role," he said.

Other lawyers who expressed willingness to join the private prosecution team include lawyers Biboy Malaya, Tranquil Salvador and Dennis Manalo, Umali said.

Malaya, he said, was part of the prosecution team in the impeachment trial of the late Chief Justice Renato Corona, while Salvador was part of the defense panel.

The House panel has yet to finalize the list of 11 lawmakers who will form the prosecution panel.

Umali also said in the interview that they failed to finish the articles of impeachment against Sereno within their set deadline on March 14, causing their hearing on Wednesday to be postponed. —KBK, GMA News