Reasons for indictment against Leonen ‘wavering’, says former Supreme Court chief justice

MANILA – The impeachment lawsuit filed against Deputy Supreme Court Justice Marvic Leonen is unlikely to be approved because his motives are “unstable,” former Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban said on Wednesday.

“I think he will have a hard time passing because, in my opinion, the ground is unstable,” he told the ANC’s “Matters of Fact”.

“First, it says that Marvic Leonen, as a Supreme Court judge, has been late in resolving the cases assigned to him. He has not presented evidence of that in the first place.”

Panganiban also said that the plaintiff did not have conclusive evidence that Leonen failed to file his Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) statement while teaching at the University of the Philippines.

Attorney Larry Gadon filed an impeachment lawsuit against Leonen in the House of Representatives for “culpable violation of the Constitution and treason of public trust.”

Citing a newspaper article, he charged Leonen with a guilty violation of the Constitution for allegedly delaying the resolution of pending cases before the superior court.

It alleged that Leonen did not resolve 37 of the 82 pending cases within 24 months, allegedly in violation of Article 15 (1) of Article VIII of the Constitution, which requires that all cases be resolved within 24 months of the date. presentation before the CS.

Gadon, an acquaintance loyal to Marcos, also accused Leonen of treason against the public trust for allegedly failing to submit his SALN while teaching at the University of the Philippines.

Leonen is the member in charge of the electoral protest of the defeated 2016 vice presidential candidate, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., against Vice President Leni Robredo. The case is pending before the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), where the members of the high court sit

Panganiban believed that the impeachment complaint was used to “seek evidence” through the “coercive power” of the lower house justice committee.

“I think the accusation has become cheaper in the sense that it arises even if the motives are not very clear, not very justiciable, not very suitable for the process,” he said.

“Impeachment is such an elevated procedure that it should be used sparingly only when the ground is safe and the independence of our judiciary is respected.”

In an earlier statement, Leonen had so far not commented on the specific allegations.

However, he said he was confident that House leaders would “do the right thing” by prioritizing more “urgent and urgent needs of our people” rather than “false issues raised by some for clearly personal or vengeful reasons.”