Corona impeachment trial resumes

MANILA, Philippines—The Senate impeachment trial of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona has resumed with the prosecution expected to tackle first his alleged failure to disclose his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth.

The Senate acting as an impeachment court resumed at around 2 p.m. on Tuesday, the second day of Corona’s impeachment trial.

It turned  down  the  prosecution team’s request to subpoena the Chief Justice, wife  and family members   and require them to appear before the  impeachment trial.

“This court resolves to deny  the request,” said  Senate Secretary  Emma Lirio Reyes, who sits as  clerk of court,  reading from  the prepared  ruling of the Senate on  Tuesday.

Corona’s camp objected to the prosecution’s move to subpoena Corona and some family members when it filed an eight-page opposition before the Senate.

In their opposition, Corona’s lawyers argued that the wife and their children should not be compelled to testify in the trial citing the principle of “spousal privilege” and the constitutional provision on “parental and filial privilege” respectively.

Some of the 45 properties submitted by the prosecution in the Senate were in the names of Corona and his wife, children and in-laws. But in a speech Monday, the Chief Magistrate admitted to owning only five of them.

Corona’s alleged failure to disclose his SALN was one of eight articles of impeachment filed against him by 188 members of the House of Representatives.

Originally posted at 02:01 pm | Tuesday, January 17, 2012