Former Chief Justice Renato Corona. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
Impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona will now have to face the music.
The Sandiganbayan on Wednesday threw out for lack of merit Corona’s motion seeking a reversal of a previous decision that upheld his indictment for perjury.
The case arose from his supposed failure to correctly declare his real wealth in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth.
“The court finds (Corona’s) motion for reconsideration devoid of merit,” the antigraft court’s Special Third Division said in its 28-page ruling.
Voting 4-1, the court said the issues the former Chief Justice raised in his appeal had already been discussed in a decision it promulgated on Aug. 13, 2015.
It said the arguments of the prosecution and the defense panels would be best discussed during the trial of the case.
Dennis Pulma, the Third Division clerk of court, said the court’s ruling also meant that Corona’s arraignment would push through on Jan. 26.
“The validity and merits of a party’s accusation or defense, as well as admissibility of testimonies and evidence, are better ventilated during the trial proper,” the court said.
“To repeat, a finding of probable cause needs only rest on evidence showing that, more likely than not, a crime has been committed… by the accused,” it added.