Defense: Corona is innocent

[Listen to lawyer Eduardo de los Angeles oral arguments for the defense]

Chief Justice Renato Corona

MANILA, Philippines – The defense panel in the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona on Monday asked for an acquittal of the country’s highest magistrate, arguing that “not every violation of public trust is an impeachable offense.”

Lawyer Eduardo de los Angeles said confidentiality of Corona’s dollar deposits justifies a public official in not declaring dollar accounts in his statement of assets liabilities and net worth (SALN).

Senators are set to decide the fate of Corona mainly on his failure to declare $2.4 million in deposits and P80.7 million in commingled funds in his SALNs.

“Our Constitution provides under the Bill of Rights a right to privacy and the right to information,” said de los Angeles who spoke first for the defense team’s closing arguments.

Delos Angeles said the law on foreign currency deposits justifies non-disclosure of foreign accounts and stressed that SALN law does not amend confidentiality of foreign currency deposits.

Delos Angeles said Corona’s innocence stemmed not only from abject lack of evidence but from his conduct, wholly consistent with clear conscience.

“We, the defense, respectfully respect the Senate to render a judgment of acquittal,” he said. “Theirs will not be the last words because the voice I will leave with you is the voice of reason, law, truth.”

De los Angeles noted that Corona “has waived confidentiality of his bank accounts, thereby setting the standard in public service.”

“Let not this institution allow the guillotine to fall on judicial independence,” he said.

Meanwhile, Chief Justice Renato Corona ‘s lead counsel, former Supreme Court Justice Serafin Cuevas, tried to convince the Senate acting as an impeachment court on Monday that the evidence used against his client were mere “scrapped of papers” and “totally useless” in the case against him.

“They are mere scrap of papers, the attestation required by law is not present and therefore they are not admissible as evidence. If they are not admissible as evidence , what probative value does it have here?” Cuevas said, referring to the documents submitted to the Senate by Ombudsman Cochita Carpio-Morales.

The documents were the 17-page report by the Anti-Money Laundering Council to the Ombudsman which purportedly showed that Corona had at least $12 million deposit in 82 dollar bank accounts.

“I hope the court pardon me by saying it’s totally useless. It’s totally irrelevant to the matters brought by her (Carpio-Morales),” Cuevas said.

And as he commended Corona for testifying before the Senate, Cuevas criticized the prosecution team for its decision to waive its right to cross-examine the Chief Justice.

“If they doubted the credibility of Chief Justice Corona, they should have taken advantage of the opportunity to cross examine him,” he said.

“But it’s on record your honor that there was no such cross examination. In fact, it was categorically and positively waived by the lead counsel of the prosecution,” Cuevas said referring to lead prosecutor Tupas.

Originally posted at 03:50 pm | Monday, May 28,  2012