Lawyers seek contempt raps vs. Sotto

A coalition of legal practitioners has asked the Supreme Court to hold Senate President Vicente Sotto III in indirect contempt, citing his public criticism of the tribunal’s decision voiding the impeachment articles against Vice President Sara Z. Duterte.

In their formal submission, the petitioners argued: “Viewing all his interviews as a whole, all told, Senator Sotto, in his public scorn towards this Honorable Court, has committed improper conduct within the meaning of the Rules of Court, and is therefore liable for indirect contempt.”

The complaint referenced Sotto’s Jan. 30 media interviews where he expressed support for charter change, alleging what he described as the court’s “meddling of the constitution.”

According to the lawyers, “Senator Sotto is claiming that because the Supreme Court illegitimately exercised its power of judicial review and amended the constitution, this power may be stripped from it through a constitutional amendment.”

They added: “This not only belittles the Court, but also instills in the minds of the public that any unfavorable decision can be overcome by simply depriving the Court of the powers it currently has under the present constitution.”

Those behind the petition are lawyers Harold Respicio, Virgilio Garcia, Manuelito Luna, Ferdinand Topacio and Mary Binag.