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MANILA, Philippines – Attorney Larry Gadon filed an impeachment lawsuit against Deputy Supreme Court Justice Marvic Leonen on Monday for “culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust.”
In his impeachment lawsuit filed in the House of Representatives, Gadon said Leonen “clearly lacks integrity because he did not file his Statement of Assets and Liabilities (SALN),” citing a newspaper column that claimed Leonen did not file his SALN. for 15 years.
He said Leonen has also been “negligent and incompetent” for allegedly failing to resolve 37 cases in the Supreme Court in violation of the constitutional mandate that cases must be resolved within 24 months of when they are presented for resolution.
“The Respondent did not consider the implications of these prolonged delays on the lives of the litigants. He should know that when justice is delayed too long, the uncertainty in litigants persists, which diminishes confidence in the Court, “said Gadon.
In addition, he cited the alleged “incompetence and inefficiency” of the SC official due to the delay in the resolution of 34 cases, consisting of 21 electoral protests and 13 quo warranto cases, pending in the Electoral Tribunal of the House of Representatives, where he occupies The presidency.
“Clearly, the defendant committed a culpable violation of the Constitution by failing to arbitrarily, willfully, willfully, deliberately, and maliciously resolve the cases within the required statutory period,” Gadon added.
Gadon also noted that during the administration of former President Benigno Aquino III, bias and bias in favor of the Liberal Party were evident in all the cases voted by Leonen.
But when President Rodrigo Duterte took office, Leonen issued “scathing dissenters” in almost every case where the majority of the CS ruled in favor of the administration, according to the lawyer.
“Due to these serious lapses, he is now held accountable for his actions,” he said.
“The defendant is guilty of guilty violation of the Constitution and treason of the public trust. Therefore, he should not be allowed to continue in office, ”Gadon added.
Leonen has yet to release a statement on the impeachment lawsuit as of press time.
In September, the SC denied a request by Gadon and the Attorney General’s Office (OSG) to access Leonen’s SALNs for a quo warranto petition, or a challenge to the qualification of an officer for a particular position. To recall, it was also Gadon who filed an impeachment lawsuit against former Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno in 2017.
In November, the Superior Court dismissed the motion filed by GSO to reconsider its September ruling on the SALN request.
JE
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