The Philippines’ Supreme Court chief justice yesterday called on lawmakers to dismiss an impeachment complaint against her, saying the charges were based on “fake news.”
“This is nothing short of an impeachment exercise based on fake news,” Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno said in her 86-page reply to the complaint filed with the House of Representatives. 
“The complaint should be dismissed not only because the charges are totally false but also because they do not constitute the grounds for impeachment under the Constitution,” she added.
The impeachment complaint was filed by lawyer Larry Gadon last month. Gadon stressed that he has public documents to back up his charges.
In the complaint, Gadon alleged that Sereno failed to declare “exorbitant” lawyer’s fees amounting to 37mn pesos ($740,000) in her statement of assets and liabilities.
It also accused the chief justice of using Supreme Court funds to purchase a sports utility vehicle worth 5.1mn pesos, higher than its market value of 4.5mn pesos, for her personal use. On September 13, a committee at the House of Representatives ruled that the complaint was sufficient in form and substance.
But Sereno said the House of Representatives would be abusing its powers if she were impeached “without sufficient legal and factual basis.”
“If the grounds for impeachment of the chief justice can be trivialised to include any ground which Congress may consider, the fate of the judiciary would be subjected to the whims of Congress,” she said.