Retired Supreme Court (SC) magistrate Ruben Reyes DENIED that he was the one who leaked the unofficial decision on a pending election case before the tribunal. Thus resulting to a possible impeachment of Chief Justice Reynato Puno.
”I swear before God and man, hindi ako pwede maging leak. (I cannot be the leak.) I am not the source of the leak. I cannot tolerate it. If they find that the leak came from my office, then pinpoint the employee who did it,” Reyes said.
The magistrate said that no person in his/her right mind would release an unpromulgated decision since it would be a violation of the country’s Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
He also revealed that the draft decision he wrote went through three different offices, which are all being investigated by a high court panel.
The SC probe involves the draft decision of Reyes on the petition of Olivia Paras to unseat Negros Oriental Rep. Jocelyn Limkaichong.
Paras and Louis Biraogo had asked the SC to invalidate Limkaichong’s proclamation on the ground that she is allegedly not a natural-born Filipino, a requirement for public office. Paras lost to Limkaichong in the 2007 district elections by over 7,000 votes.
In the draft decision, Reyes nullified the proclamation of Limkaichong, but nine out of the 14 justices concurred only “in the result” when the ruling was passed for signing. This means the justice agreed with the conclusion but not with the arguments Reyes had presented. This prompted Chief Justice Reynato Puno, in consultation with the en banc, to withhold the promulgation of the decision.
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