MANILA, Philippines – The defense was surprised by a prosecution witness who testified Thursday at the impeachment trial that she was approached by a congressman for information on the photocopied bank document of accounts allegedly under the name of Chief Justice Renato Corona, a spokesman for the team said Thursday.
“She gave us a narrative of how she was visited and what he asked of her,” lawyer Tranquil Salvador III told reporters, referring to Annabelle Tiongson, branch manager of Philippine Savings Bank, who told the Senate, acting as an impeachment court, that Quezon City Representative Jorge Banal had asked her about the alleged photocopied document.
But Salvador said what puzzled the defense was the part where the bank executive told the impeachment court that Banal had showed her the photocopy.
“How will this fit in with [the story of] the small lady?” asked Karen Jimeno, another spokesperson of the defense team. She said that they were curious as to Banal’s visit to Tiongson’s office way before the “small lady” became an issue.
Much more interesting to them was how the congressman acquired this document, said Salvador.