Prosecutors expect Corona to dig in

The House prosecution team expects impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona to “dig in” at the Senate trial but a House leader doubts that Corona can withstand the pain of his wife and children being dragged into what could become a very nasty trial.

Isabel Rep. Giorgidi Aggabao said there have been no feelers from Corona that he would resign rather than face trial amid the House prosecutors’ release to the media of a long list of property holdings that they claim Corona and his family had accumulated.

“He might dig in,” said Aggabao, who is one of the House prosecutors.

Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad Jr. quashed speculations of any possible compromise deal allowing Corona a “graceful exit” similar to the case of former Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez who quit in April last year just days before the start of her impeachment trial. Abad was present when Gutierrez personally handed in her resignation letter to President Benigno Aquino III in Malacañang.

Too late for deal

“I think it’s too late for any compromise deal. The House prosecution team is prepared to see the trial through to its final verdict,” said Abad in a phone interview.

Abad said Corona could opt to resign in the middle of the impeachment trial but there was no guarantee that the cases against him would not be pursued to bar him from holding any public office in the future.

A source from the Corona camp, who requested anonymity since he was not authorized to speak for the group, said the Chief Justice had hinted of quitting his post only if he would be allowed to choose his successor, a proposal which was quickly shot down by Palace intermediaries.

House Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II doubted that Corona would be able to withstand the “barrage of evidence” not only against him but also against his wife and his children that the prosecution will present.

Different story

He noted that the impeachment trial was a political exercise and senators would not base their verdict on Corona’s guilt solely on the evidence presented.

“I think the Chief Justice can hold up on his own but it will be a different story if his loved ones are dragged into the trial,” said Gonzales.

He cited the case of the former Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes who committed suicide when the Senate investigation on corruption in the military moved closer to involving his family in the probe.

The House prosecution team recently released to media a list of 45 assets worth more than P200 million allegedly owned by Corona, his wife, children and their relatives, based on records furnished by the Land Registration Authority.