MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court (SC) has found disbarred lawyer lawyer Larry Gadon guilty of gross misconduct for committing perjury and making accusations based on hearsay in the impeachment case of former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.
In a press release on Thursday, the high court said that Gadon violated Canon II, Section 11 of the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability, which prohibits lawyers from making false statements.
"His disregard for the verification requirement in impeachment complaints shows disrespect for the impeachment process, using it to advance his personal agenda rather than air genuine and legitimate grievances," the SC's press release read.
For a member of the bar, gross misconduct is punishable by disbarment. However, since Gadon was previously disbarred on June 28, 2023, for repeatedly uttering curse words and profanities on social media against journalist Raissa Robles, the SC said the penalty of disbarment would not be imposed again.
The high court also imposed a fine of P150,000 on Gadon and declared him ineligible for judicial clemency.
The case stemmed from a disbarment case filed before the Integrated Bar of the Philippines against the disbarred lawyer for "falsehoods" in the impeachment case he filed against Sereno.
The SC stated that Gadon committed perjury by making allegations in his impeachment complaint that were not based on his personal knowledge or any authentic records, which is contrary to his sworn statement in the verification attached to his complaint.
The court also noted that Gadon was aware he lacked personal knowledge or any authentic documents to support his accusation that Sereno falsified a temporary restraining order of the court.
Despite this, he included the claim in his verified impeachment complaint, attempting to give credibility to his baseless accusation, according to the SC.
"This not only deceived the House of Representatives, but also revealed an intent to inflict unnecessary harm to the reputation of a lawyer and former member of the Court," the SC said.
"All these confirm that Gadon was motivated by a malicious intent to malign and defame Sereno," it added.