Palace expects trial to find Corona guilty

For the Palace, the fight continues.

Malacañang on Monday accepted the decision of the Senate impeachment tribunal to honor the temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by the Supreme Court on the opening of Chief Justice Renato Corona’s foreign currency deposits, but expressed confidence that he would eventually be convicted.

“We believe that despite the limitations accepted by the Senate from the Supreme Court, the impeachment trial will continue to bring to light evidence to prove the guilt of the Chief Justice,” presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in a statement.

“The truth will emerge. The issues remain joined. There is much more evidence to present. There are many more fights left before the day of judgment comes,” Lacierda said.

Lacierda said that despite the Senate decision, it will “vigorously defend its assertion that it has the sole authority to try and decide impeachment cases, and in the words of the Senate president, will argue the case on its merits before the high court.”

“The Senate’s decision closes the door on the defense walking out of the proceedings and heads off any attempt to entice the Supreme Court to put an end to the impeachment trial,” he said, pointing out that the defense can no longer make a claim that a constitutional crisis was looming.

Lacierda said the evidence so far presented showed that Corona had not “rendered a faithful accounting of his assets and liabilities as required by law.”

He said that as more evidence come out, “it can only underscore how the Chief Justice willfully broke the law.”

“Everyone is conscious that this impeachment trial is establishing precedents that will affect not only the outcome of this process, but future processes, to exact accountability. Surely the intention of the Senate is not to embolden those with ill-gotten wealth, to salt away their funds in foreign currency accounts,” Lacierda said.

Supreme Court spokesperson Midas Marquez welcomed the Senate decision and said talk of a constitutional crisis had become “moot.”

Marquez stressed that the TRO was not a final order and was just an initial step pending the Supreme Court review of the petition to stop the opening of Corona’s dollar accounts. “It is not a decision on the merits.” With a report from Philip C. Tubeza