Palace pushes for Corona wife’s kin in impeach trial

MANILA, Philippines –  Malacañang on Saturday pitched for the inclusion of the estranged relatives of Chief Justice Renato Corona’s wife, Cristina, among the prosecution’s witnesses in the trial of the impeached magistrate.

Undersecretary Abigail Valte, President Aquino’s deputy spokesperson, said it’s up to the Senate impeachment court how it would rule if the prosecution seeks the testimony of Sister Flory Basa and Ana Basa.

Corona’s defense lawyers have said the Basas’ testimony would be irrelevant in the hearing of the impeachment complaint against the Chief Justice.

“We don’t agree that the possible testimony of Sister Flory and Ms Ana Basa would be irrelevant because, we have to remember, their defense involves [the family company] Basa-Guidote,” Valte said on radio.

Sister Flory Basa and Ana Basa have given interviews detailing the conflict between Cristina Corona and the other members of the clan that owns Basa-Guidote Enterprises, Inc.

Corona has said that he didn’t declare the multi-million-peso deposits in his bank accounts because the funds belonged to the company.

“It can’t be that you’d say the money came from the corporation and there’d no longer be an inquiry on the state of the corporation,” Valte said.