CHIEF Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno apologized on Thursday for the “confusion” over her leave of absence, as fellow magistrates castigated her for the disinformation.

But lawyer Jojo Lacanilao said the Sereno camp should not be faulted as an announcement on Tuesday that the chief justice would go on a “wellness leave” until March 15, instead of an “indefinite leave” was done without malice.