Prosecutors to prove Corona’s crucial role in issuance of TRO

MANILA, Philippines—Prosecutors on Wednesday said they will prove that Chief Justice Renato Corona caused the reversal of the original decision of the Supreme Court en banc on the conditions of the temporary restraining order on the travel ban issued against former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

In a press briefing, prosecution spokesman Representative Neri Colmenares said that this is what the team would prove in presenting evidence on Article 7, which alleges that Corona betrayed public trust through his partiality in granting the TRO to allow Arroyo and her husband, Jose Miguel Arroyo, to leave the country and escape prosecution.

Article 7 also claims that Corona distorted the high court decision on the TRO which is a “clear failure to comply with the conditions of the Supreme Court’s own TRO.”

Colmenares noted that during caucuses of the Supreme Court justices, the Chief Justices is tasked to take notes, which will serve as the basis of the minutes of the meeting and the basis of the resolution that will be drafted by the court.

Colmenares said that on December 15, the Supreme Court en banc granted a TRO allowing the Arroyo couple to leave the country but indicated that certain conditions must be met before it could take effect.

But the resolution, which was no longer consulted with other members of the tribunal, indicated that Arroyo would be allowed to leave the country without fulfilling the conditions, he said.

Colmenares said that Associate Justice Antonio Carpio issued a dissenting opinion, saying that what came out was different from what was discussed during the meeting.

“Ang pagpaliwanag ng prosekusyon sa article 7 binaliktad ni Justice Corona ang desisyon ng Korte Suprema en banc.

“Iyan ang ilalabas namin habang pinepresent namin ang kaso,” Colmenares said. “At hindi sila pwedeng magsabi na collegiate ang desisyon kasi iyong function, administrative powers ng Chief Justice, napakalaki.”

Among the conditions of the TRO was the designation of authorized person who would receive summonses on her behalf while she was out of the country.