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Day 27 Corona trial highlights: Defense lawyer cited for contempt


Request to subpoena congressmen denied  
  • The impeachment court denied the defense team's request to subpoena several congressmen in connection with the verification of the impeachment complaint against Chief Justice Renato Corona. The defense lawyers have argued that the impeachment complaint signed by 188 members of the House of Representatives was done hastily.
  • In rejecting the defense motion, the Senate gave weight to the House prosecution team’s argument that the impeachment process was done in accordance with its rules.
  • Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, presiding officer of the impeachment court, said the court has accepted that the complaint was verified and the trial is already underway.
  Evidence on PAL privileges will not be accepted  
  • Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III announced the impeachment court’s ruling that disallows the admission of evidence on the accusation that Corona allegedly received benefits from Philippine Airlines (PAL) while the company had cases pending before the high tribunal.
  • The court deemed the evidence “improper as these documents have already been excluded by the court because they tend to prove bribery... a crime not alleged in Article III of the Articles of Impeachment.”
  All evidence on bank accounts will be admitted     Court will not vote on five articles of impeachment  
  • Enrile denied the motion of the defense panel for the impeachment court to formally dismiss Articles I, IV, V, VI, and VIII of the Articles of Impeachment, which had earlier been dropped by the prosecutors.
  • However, Enrile said the senator-judges have a “clear understanding” that the impeachment court will no longer vote or receive any evidence from the prosecution and defense on the five dropped articles.
  Rep. Tiangco testifies as first defense witness  
  • The defense panel presented Navotas Rep. Tobias Tiangco as its first witness to show that the impeachment of Corona was “politically motivated,” according to lawyer Dennis Manalo.
  • In his testimony, Tiangco said the impeachment of Chief Justice Corona was an attempt to “control or scare” the Supreme Court.
  • He narrated the events that transpired during the Dec. 12, 2011 caucus where Corona’s impeachment was discussed. Tiangco said House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. told the legislators that Corona should be impeached because of his closeness with former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who appointed him to the Supreme Court.
  • Tiangco said he nearly signed the impeachment complaint because he did not want to displease President Benigno Aquino III. However, in the end, he decided not to sign because he had not read the complaint and he was not convinced of the probable cause for the impeachment of the chief justice.  
Validity of impeachment complaint upheld  
  • The impeachment court denied the defense camp’s plea to tackle the validity of the impeachment complaint, saying it had satisfied the requirements prescribed by the Constitution. 
  • Enrile also ruled that Corona was not denied due process in the trial, saying the upper house had notified Corona about the impeachment complaint and in turn, the chief magistrate had submitted a response to the Senate.
Defense lawyer cited for contempt due to allegation of bribery attempt  
  • The court decided to cite defense lawyer Jose Roy III for indirect contempt for claiming at a press conference last month that Malacañang was urging senator-judges not to honor the Supreme Court order stopping them from examining Corona’s dollar accounts.
  • Enrile said the penalty for Roy, who had claimed that Malacañang allotted P100 million for the projects of each senator-judge from government savings, will be determined in a caucus. 
  • The Senate President said the implication of Roy’s statement “is rather serious because it, in effect, suggests that this court could be paid in making a decision. And I don't think that is a proper thing to even think about this impeachment court.”
  – Reported by Kimberly Jane Tan, Andreo Calonzo, and Rouchelle Dinglasan/YA, GMA News
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