Manila: Senators sitting as an impeachment court trying the country's highest judicial official successfully forced Chief Justice Renato Corona to bare his statement of assets on the third day of the trial.
Supreme Court clerk of court Attorney, Enriqueta Esguerra-Vidal, took the podium for the prosecution that presented her as one of the witnesses in the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Corona.
The House in early December moved for the impeachment of Corona on charges that included culpable violation of the constitution, betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, among others.
Esguerra-Vidal's testimony is vital in building up one of the arguments for the impeachment of Corona that the latter did not present his Statement of Assets Liability and Networth (SALN) as required for members of the judiciary.
From the onset, Esguerra-Vidal has resisted attempts by the prosecution and senator-judges to force the Supreme Court clerk of court to force the latter to bare Corona's SALN.
"It is not within my competence but with the court to release the SALN," Esguerra-Vidal told the impeachment court.
Corona's defence lawyers led by Serafin Cuevas tried to fight attempts by the prosecution and the senator judges to force Esguerra-Vidal to bare SALN to no avail.
Graft allegations
The prosecution, led by House of Representatives member Niel Tupas Jr, had been trying to secure Corona's SALN to give credence to the argument that the Supreme Court Chief Justice had committed graft and corruption while in office.
Tupas and other House of Representative members sitting in the impeachment trial as prosecutors had alleged that Corona owned several properties and that these assets were not commensurate with the Chief Justice's salary as a public official.
Earlier, Corona had denied wrongdoing and challenged his accusers to present evidence.
"You can have the properties that you are saying that I have if you have proof that they are mine," he said.
During the proceedings on Tuesday, Esguerra-Vidal eventually presented Corona's SALN.
The prosecution is expected to present more witnesses in the coming days.
