House impeach body has ax to grind vs ‘Merci,’ SC told
By Benjamin B. Pulta 10/28/2010Lawyers representing Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez yesterday told the Supreme Court (SC) that she would not get fair treatment if the two impeachment proceedings filed against her would push through, noting that the proceedings will also affect the Ombudsman’s office, especially the government’s drive against graft and corruption.
In a 124-page memo-randum, Gutierrez, through her lawyers led by former SC Associate Justice Serafin Cuevas, said records of the House committee pro-ceedings undertaking the impeachment trial show undue bias against the Ombudsman.
“The numerous charges alleged in the two im-peachment com-plaints filed against her cannot be properly defended without reviewing the facts and circumstances pertaining to each charge spanning over three years which will not only enslave petitioner Ombuds-man in preparing her defense but also disable her from performing her duties and functions as Ombudsman,” Cuevas stressed.
“The respondent committee violated the laws and settled jurisprudence which require the publication of laws and rules of procedure which affect third parties. Petitioner Ombudsman will be compelled to respond and defend herself against the numerous and disparate acts and/or omissions alleged in the two complaints and will subject her to undue harassment and oppression,” Cuevas said as he underscored the hurried impeachment which was undertaken before the publication of the House’s own rules on such proceedings..... MORE
Source: The Daily Tribune
URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20101028hed4.html
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