MANILA - Supreme Court Associate Justice Teresita Leonardo-De Castro is facing a complaint for alleged "leakage of confidential court matters" after she was tagged as a source in the impeachment complaint against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.

The Filipino Alliance for Transparency and Empowerment (FATE) advocacy group accused De Castro of violating the internal rules of the high court, and the New Code of Judicial Conduct for the Philippine Judiciary.

The 5-page complaint did not indicate what specific matters were allegedly leaked by De Castro, but cited the November 22 impeachment hearing where lawyer Larry Gadon claimed that Manila Times reporter Jomar Canlas learned of "confidential" court matters from the magistrate.

"Considering the unauthorized leak of these confidential court matters from the Hon. Justice De Castro was the cause of, or had participation in, the leakage of confidential court matters, she should be penalized accordingly by this Honorable Court En Banc,” the complaint read.

"The institution of administrative disciplinary cases against sitting justices of the Supreme Court for leaking confidential information has precedent," it added.

De Castro has denied giving information to Canlas.

"I have never released to Jomar Canlas any information, report, or document regarding the work of the Court," she said in a statement last week.

Canlas, during the hearing's resumption, also told congressmen that De Castro was not his source and that he never insinuated so to Gadon.

• Reporter denies De Castro was source in articles cited in impeach rap

Report from Ina Reformina, ABS-CBN News