Robredo camp sees impeachment agenda behind 'Bikoy' raps
MANILA, Philippines (Updated 4 p.m.) — The latest pronouncements of the lawyer of Peter Joemel Advincula alias "Bikoy" is a clear indicator that their agenda is to impeach Vice President Leni Robredo, her spokesperson said.
Lawyer Larry Gadon, Advincula's legal counsel, admitted that he has plans to file an impeachment complaint if the vice president gets indicted.
"If Mrs. Robredo is indicted then that would be the next step — the impeachment proceedings against her. That's the plan, but that's my plan only. The Office of the Solicitor General is not involved," Gadon told ANC.
Gadon filed an impeachment complaint against Maria Lourdes Sereno, who was removed from office as chief justice through a quo warranto plea filed by the OSG.
RELATED: Potential OSG involvement in 'Bikoy' affidavit 'perfectly normal,' Gadon says
Robredo and 34 others are facing charges of sedition, inciting to sedition, cyberlibel, libel estafa, harboring a criminal and obstruction of justice over the "Ang Totoong Narco List" video series that spread online earlier this year.
Barry Gutierrez, spokesperson of Robredo, said their camp has yet to receive the subpoena in connection with the sedition raps filed by the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.
Following Gadon's pronouncements, Gutierrez said this is a clear indicator of the real agenda behind the sedition allegations.
"This is not an ordinary criminal case. This is not based on a proper investigation. This is clearly politically motivated," Gutierrez said in a press briefing.
While the Robredo camp has not yet received the affidavits, Gutierrez said the vice president is ready to face the "trumped-up" charges against her.
"Our legal team is already in a place and we will take the appropriate steps at the right time," Gutierrez said.
Gadon, who filed an impeachment complaint againt former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, insisted that the Duterte administration is not involved in the allegations against Robredo.
Palace: That's up to them
Malacañang meanwhile distanced itself from lawyer Gadon's plan to file impeachment complaints against Robredo as well as Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio.
"Eh 'di bahala siya sa sarili niya. Sa kanyang diskarte yun, hayaan mo siya (It's up to him. That's his move). Every citizen has the right to do anything legal under the constitution. But whether it will succeed or not, it will prosper or not, that's another thing," presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a press briefing on Thursday.
"The Palace never interferes, intrudes, in the domain of other branches," he added.
Panelo said it would be up to Congress to act on the impeachment complaints to be filed by Gadon, a known critic of the opposition.
"Let Congress decide. That's their job," the presidential spokesman said.
"We'll just watch in amusement," he added. — with a report from The STAR/Alexis Romero
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