MANILA (Updated, 1:27 p.m.) — Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio is still in the running to become the next Chief Justice after his colleagues at the Supreme Court (SC) junked the disbarment case against him, a radio report said.
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In a special session on Friday morning, the justices moved that a magistrate can only be removed by impeachment under the 1987 Constitution.
Following this line, the report said disbarment cases can only be filed once an impeachable officer is removed from office.
Acting SC spokesperson Gleoresty Guerra neither confirmed nor denied the information.
“My instructions were to announce the results of the en banc session and meeting of the Judicial and Bar Council at the same time. The JBC meeting is still ongoing,” she told Sun.Star.
The eight-member JBC is the body that screens candidates for all judicial posts.
It is currently in a meeting also at the SC to prepare the shortlist of nominees to be submitted to President Benigno Aquino III, who has until August 27 to pick the replacement of deposed Chief Justice Renato Corona.
Filed by anti-crime advocate Lauro Vizconde last Monday, the complaint against Carpio contains allegations of corruption and gross incompetence.
To recall, Vizconde accused Carpio of lobbying for the acquittal of Hubert Webb, principal suspect in the murder of his wife Estrellita and two daughters in June 1991.
Twenty people are aspiring to succeed Corona, who was removed by the Senate impeachment court last May 29 for betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution after he misdeclared his peso and dollar deposits in the asset statement. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/breaking-news/2012/08/10/high-court-junks-disbarment-complaint-vs-carpio-236748