MANILA, March 8 (Xinhua) -- A Philippine congressional committee found on Thursday probable cause to impeach Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, who was accused of violating the law and criticized of discrediting President Rodrigo Duterte's administration.
Voting 38-2, Rep. Reynaldo Umali, the chair of the House Committee on Justice, said the panel voted to remove Sereno based on the complaint filed by lawyer Larry Gadon.
"This committee found probate cause to impeach the chief justice," Umali said, adding the impeachment complaint contains four grounds, culpable violation of the constitution, corruption, betrayal of public trust and other high crimes.
The complaint also alleged 27 acts constituting the offences charged against Sereno, such as falsification of manipulated judicial nominations and proceedings and failed to file a Statement of Assets, Liability and Net Worth from when she was a professor at the University of the Philippines.
Last year, President Duterte said he wanted Sereno and another anti-graft prosecutor impeached and accused them of discrediting his administration.
However, Duterte this Tuesday denied any involvement in the ouster of the Chief Justice, saying he had once called her attention to her supposedly changing stance on the cases pending before the Supreme Court.
The complaint will be submitted to the plenary later this month for voting before congress goes on recess on March 22.
At least a third of the members of the House of Representatives is needed for the complaint to be transmitted to the Senate for trial.
Sereno said she is ready to face the impeachment proceedings should it reach the senate.
