Defense asks Senate help to find document prosecution borrowed

MANILA, Philippines – The lawyers of Chief Justice Renato Corona reported on Wednesday to the Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, a missing document that was allegedly borrowed by the prosecution team.

Corona’s lead counsel, former Supreme Court Justice Serafin Cuevas, said the missing document was a handwritten letter acknowledgment of Corona’s wife, Cristina, pertaining to the seven titles of lands in Marikina.

The properties were allegedly sold by Mrs. Corona to the Chief Justice’s cousin, Demetriou Vicente in 1990 but allegedly remained in the Chief Justice’s statement of assets, liabilities and net worth in 1992.

“The document has been missing and has not been returned your honor,” Cuevas said at the start of the trial.

Cuevas said he tried to speak to private prosecutor Jose Justiniano about it but could not get “satisfactory explanation” from him.

When asked by Senate President Juan Ponce-Enrile, Justiniano said he did not notice Mrs. Corona’s letter when they borrowed a bunch of documents from the defense team.

But Enrile said, “I saw them being transferred to you.”

Enrile then ordered the private prosecutor to look for the document.