Chief Justice Renato Corona. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – Chief Justice Renato Corona is gearing up not only for the “range” of questions that will be raised when he testifies in his impeachment trial but also against the “temperament” of senators, who sit as judges in the trial, his lawyer said on Sunday.
Corona will testify for the first time on Tuesday before the Senate, acting as an impeachment court.
“Mahirap po kasing sabihin na handang handa (It’s difficult to say that he’s very prepared)…It’s really, really hard. Ang haharapin po kasi namin dito yung temperament ng senator-judges, yung range of questions (Because what we’re going to face here is the temperament of senator-judges , the range of questions),” Corona’s defense lawyer, Tranquil Salvador III, said in an interview over Radyo Inquirer .
Since Thursday last week, Salvador said the defense team has been meeting with the Chief Justice to prepare his defense.
But on Sunday, Corona skipped a key meeting with his battery of lawyers, telling them to spend “family day.’’ The defense team took it as a sign he “wants to prepare on his own’’ for his testimony, according to defense lawyer-spokesperson Rico Paolo Quicho.
“Kinakausap namin sya kung ano ang inaasahan doon kasi kami po ang may first-hand information para magkaroon sya ng idea pag umupo sya sa Martes (We’re telling him what to expect there because we have the first-hand information. We want him to have an idea when he takes the witness stand on Tuesday),” Salvador said.
Although he declined to say what they discussed during their meetings, the defense lawyer said they would try to cover as much as possible all the issues raised in the Senate like the salaries, allowances, properties of the Chief Justice as well as his alleged bank accounts, and the controversy surrounding the Basa-Guidote Enterprise Inc. owned by the family of his wife, Cristina.
Salvador said they also expect questions that are “totally outside the issue.”
“Syempre, gaya ng sinasabi nila (Of course, like they are saying) this is not a legal exercise, this is not a purely legal exercise. This is a political exercise…” he further said.
Dollar accounts
But even before Corona testifies in the Senate, his lawyer dropped a hint at how the Chief Justice would explain the 82 dollar bank accounts that he allegedly owned based on the testimony of Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales.
Salvador said a time deposit with a maturity date of 30 days, for example, may be rolled 12 times in a year to earn interests. Each renewal of the time deposit, he said, would mean a different account number.
But what the Ombudsman presented in the Senate, he said, was only the sum of the “transactional balance” of the dollar accounts.
Salvador quickly clarified however that he was neither denying nor admitting the existence of any dollar accounts in the name of his client.
“Wala po kaming inaamin at dine-deny (We are not admitting or denying anything),” he said.
‘He’ll be guided by God’
Corona has been sifting through documents and “recalling facts’’ for his defense on the main charge of non-disclosure of assets, including alleged $12 million in accounts. But by himself, he’s been preparing “physically, mentally and spiritually,’’ Quicho said.
When the chief magistrate takes the stand at his impeachment trial on Tuesday, expect him to be “candid, forthright and truthful,’’ and invoke his right to protect himself from self-incrimination, if necessary, he said.
“He’ll be guided by God. He’s ready to face his fate,’’ Quicho said by phone.
After Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales last Monday dropped the bombshell that Corona kept $12 million in 82 accounts in at least five banks, his defense lawyers have been prepping him up on “possible questions’’ on key issues raised in his trial.
“He’s studying the facts, recalling the facts. He will just say what he thinks is right, and what he knows about the whole thing. It will be an honest-to-goodness testimony. Nothing more, nothing less,’’ Quicho said.
“He’ll be candid, forthright, and truthful. No secrets. That’s what we’re preparing,’’ he added.
Aware that he could be subjected to ridicule and humiliation, Corona has been preparing not only documents, but also “physically, mentally and spiritually’’ for his grilling by senator-judges and prosecutors, Quicho said.
“We can object to the questions of the prosecutors. We won’t back down. But it’s a different story when judges start asking questions,’’ he said, adding: “He’ll be ready for it. This will be the greatest performance of his life. This will define his character.’’
Of course, the chief magistrate would invoke his right to protect himself from self-incrimination “if compelled by circumstances,’’ like being asked questions unrelated to the verified impeachment complaint. And he’s aware of the implications if he invoked this too often, Quicho said.
“Only the Chief Justice can invoke that. When we feel it would not be good for us, we’d adjust,’’ he said.
But definitely, Corona will not face senator-judges and the prosecutors on Tuesday just to clam up, according to Quicho.
“Definitely not. Let’s wait for him. Let’s give him a chance. He requires a modicum of respect, too,’’ he said.
As for comments that Corona would likely admit to owning a few bank accounts and then claim that these came from legitimate sources, Quicho said the public should await his testimony on Tuesday, and not preempt him.
Reminded by observations that the main issue was not the number of accounts he kept, but whether he declared these in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth, he said: “Then impeach him. If they have enough knowledge of the facts, why don’t they testify?’’
Quicho said some senators’ call that Corona issue a waiver on his dollar accounts was premature.