SC should have called for hearings on impeachment case, says retired justice

A RETIRED Supreme Court (SC) magistrate on Wednesday said the tribunal should have held hearings on a lawsuit seeking to throw out the impeachment case against Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio before ruling in favor of the plaintiffs.

- By Chloe Mari A. Hufana

‘These oral arguments are essential in resolving significant constitutional issues, former Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio told a news briefing.

“There should have been an oral argument,” he said, days after the high court dismissed the articles of impeachment against Ms. Duterte. “It’s not mandatory, but... for you to have an overall appreciation of what happened, you have to call for an oral argument.”

‘The high court ruled on July 25 that the impeachment proceedings were illegal, citing a constitutional bar against initiating more than one impeachment case against the same official within a year.

The tribunal also found that Ms. Duterte’s right to due process had been violated when the House of Representatives transmitted the complaint to the Senate without first allowing her to respond.