DISBARRED lawyer Larry Gadon, who is now President Marcos’ adviser on poverty alleviation, was found guilty by the Supreme Court (SC) of gross misconduct for committing perjury by making false accusations against then-Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.
Since he was already disbarred, Gadon was ordered by the SC en banc to pay P150,000.
He was also adjudged ineligible for judicial clemency, and would have his disbarment permanently reflected on his record, as posted on abogado.ph
This decision follows a complaint filed before the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) regarding false charges that Gadon made in an impeachment complaint he initiated against Sereno before the House of Representatives.
The IBP’s Committee on Bar Discipline initially recommended a two-year suspension after finding that Gadon lied under oath when he claimed that Sereno falsified a temporary restraining order (TRO) from the SC.
The IBP Board of Governors later extended this recommendation to three years.
The SC adopted the IBP’s findings but elevated the penalty to disbarment.
However, as Gadon had already been disbarred, the court’s ruling primarily affected his record and imposed a financial penalty and a ban on seeking judicial clemency.
The court found that Gadon’s allegations in his impeachment complaint were not based on personal knowledge or authentic records, contradicting his sworn verification.
“Gadon knew he had no personal knowledge nor any authentic document to support the accusation that Sereno falsified a TRO of the Court. Yet, he still included this in his verified impeachment complaint, attempting to lend a semblance of credibility to his unfounded accusation,” the SC said.
The court concluded that Gadon acted with malicious intent to defame Sereno.
Previously, Gadon was disbarred for derogatory remarks about journalist Raissa Robles on social media.
