First witness takes stand at Corona impeachment trial

MANILA, Philippines—Supreme Court    Clerk  of Court Enriqueta  Esguerra-Vidal took the  witness  stand  on Wednesday  in the impeachment trial of  Supreme Court Chief  Justice Renato  Corona.

Vidal was the  first witness presented  by the prosecution team in relation to  Corona’s alleged failure to disclose  his statement of assets, liabilities and n net worth (SALN).

The allegation is contained in Article 2 of eight articles of impeachment filed by 188 members of the House of Representatives against Corona.

Iloilo Representative Niel Tupas Jr., chief prosecutor, presented the first case against Corona immediately after the resumption of the trial at around 2 p.m. on Wednesday.

Tupas, in his opening statement, also informed the Senate acting as an impeachment court that after Article 2, the prosecutors will immediately proceed with the presentation of evidence for Articles 1 and VII.

Article 1 refers to Corona’s alleged “partiality and subservience in cases involving the Arroyo administration from the time he was appointed as associate justice to the time of his midnight appointment as Chief Justice” while Article VII refers to the Chief Justice’s alleged “partiality in granting a temporary restraining order (TRO) in favor of Mrs. (Gloria) Arroyo and her husband, Miguel Arroyo, in order to give them an opportunity to escape prosecution…”