Defense keeps open its option of seeking Supreme Court relief
By Marlon Ramos
Will Chief Justice Renato Corona seek the intervention of his colleagues on the Supreme Court if the Senate convicts him Tuesday?
Will Chief Justice Renato Corona seek the intervention of his colleagues on the Supreme Court if the Senate convicts him Tuesday?
The prosecution of Chief Justice Renato Corona in the Senate impeachment court for betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution has cost the House of Representatives P5.8 million in litigation and other incidental expenses.
Chief Justice Renato Corona, the judiciary’s highest official who “bends justice to hide his crime,” deserves nothing but conviction, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said Monday.
Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile had the last word in the closing arguments Monday, but he left the question hanging on whether Chief Justice Renato Corona willfully and intentionally fudged his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) and should be convicted.
Chief Justice Renato Corona’s defense lawyers on Monday made one last pitch for his acquittal, saying his innocence “arises not from the abject lack of evidence against him, but from his conduct wholly consistent with a clear conscience.”
The Supreme Court will accept “whatever verdict” the Senate impeachment court will render in the case of Chief Justice Renato Corona, a justice of the highest court said Monday.
A bit of good news for Chief Justice Renato Corona, who is now on tenterhooks as he awaits his conviction or acquittal by the Senate impeachment court.
Defense lawyers on Monday contended that Chief Justice Renato Corona was under no legal obligation to declare his dollar deposits and even if he was called upon by law to do so and did not comply, this was not an impeachable offense.
Chief Justice Renato Corona concealed 98 percent of his financial assets in clear violation of public trust and of transparency provisions of the Constitution, House prosecutors said Monday in closing arguments at his impeachment trial.
