MANILA, Philippines — Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno was accused of treason by Justice Francis Jardeleza for obtaining in 2014 “through unlawful means” classified information regarding the Philippine government’s legal claims over the disputed West Philippine Sea.
Jardeleza's accusation was connected to the chief justice's attempt to exclude him from the shortlist of nominees for a vacant position at the SC in 2014.
"I just want to ask her: who is disloyal to the Philippine government?" he said during a House justice committee hearing on Monday, December 11, to find probable cause in the impeachment complaint filed against Sereno.
READ: Sereno camp: Treason allegation irrelevant to impeachment case
Sereno raised an integrity issue against Jardeleza, whom the chief justice accused of treason following a position he took in the arbitration case by the Philippines against China over the South China Sea.
Jardeleza, a former solicitor general, wanted to exclude Itu Aba, which was occupied by Taiwan, from the case filed by the Philippines before an international tribunal to dispute China's claim over virtually the entire South China Sea. The Philippines won the case in 2016 with the tribunal invalidating China's nine-dash line claim over the disputed waters.
Jardeleza said he was designated by former President Benigno Aquino III to lead the Philippine delegation as the country’s chief government counsel in the case on the South China Sea. He reportedly argued that excluding Itu Aba would have appeased China which could restore normal ties between Manila and Beijing.
READ: At Sereno impeachment hearing, divisions among justices go on full display
By deleting the country's position that Itu Aba was not an island but a rock Jardeleza was accused of seriously compromising Philippine interests. Sereno's spokespersons argued that had the tribunal not ruled on this, Itu Aba would be the basis of China's encroachment into the Philippine territory.
Sereno's camp responded that the chief justice acted in good faith in excluding Jardeleza from the list of nominations.
Watch Jardeleza explain his accusation against the chief justice.