Corona testimony on assets will be closely scrutinized, says Palace exec

Chief Justice Renato Corona. INQUIRER PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang expects Chief Justice Renato Corona’s testimony on his alleged unexplained wealth to be closely scrutinized by senator-judges and the administration-backed members of the House prosecution panel.

“The truth will come out one way or the other. We have always maintained that the only person who can testify to the truthfulness of the SALN, to the truthfulness of all his assets would be the Chief Justice,” said Secretary Edwin Lacierda, President Aquino’s spokesperson,

“Even the senator judges, even all of us, even the media is also looking forward to [it]. So as to what the substance of the testimony is, it will always be subject to cross examination both by the prosecution and by the senator judges,” he said in the news briefing on Wednesday afternoon.

“So let’s wait and see,” Lacierda added.

Lacierda welcomed Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales’ reported statement that she would appear before the Senate as regards her office’s asking Corona to explain an alleged $10 million in bank deposits.

“It is a welcome development because remember the letter that was reproduced in the Inquirer article showed that she sent a letter to the Chief Justice and we know that the Ombudsman is very, very careful in her findings,” Lacierda said.

“So when she said that there’s a 10-million dollar deposit, we would ascribe a lot of iota of truth there,” he added.