THE SUPREME COURT (SC) has penalized Presidential Adviser on Poverty Alleviation Lorenzo 鈥淟arry鈥 G. Gadon, a lawyer already disbarred by the High Court, after being found guilty anew of gross misconduct for committing perjury and making accusations based on hearsay.
It adopted the decision of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines 鈥 Board of Governors (IBP-BOP) to disbar Mr. Gadon but modified the penalty to a fine of P150,000. He is now ineligible for judicial clemency and cannot restore his lawyer status.
The case stemmed from his having accused former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes A. Sereno of falsifying an order issued by the SC before a congressional impeachment complaint hearing without his personal knowledge or any authentic records to support it.
鈥淭he penalty of 150,000 pesos is exorbitant and has no basis in jurisprudence,鈥 he told reporters in a chat group. 鈥淭he IBP resolution and recommendation is tainted with vendetta.鈥
Mr. Gadon alleged that the wife of the IBP president at the time the complaint was filed had applied for the position of Justice of the Court of Tax Appeals, which he claimed, 鈥淚 have successfully opposed.鈥
But the SC said its findings proved he was motivated by malicious intent to malign and defame Ms. Sereno.
鈥淕adon knew that he never had any personal knowledge nor any authentic document to support the accusation that Sereno falsified a TRO (temporary restraining order) of the Court. Yet, he still included this in his verified impeachment complaint,鈥 the resolution read.
Mr. Gadon said the decision was 鈥渘ot a big thing鈥 since he is a 鈥渞etired lawyer for 10 years already鈥 and has no intention to go back into law practice.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. appointed Mr. Gadon as his anti-poverty czar last year.鈥 Chloe Mari A. Hufana
