Ombudsman takes witness stand on Chief Justice’s impeachment trial

Manila: Anti-graft court chief Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales took the witness stand Monday in a highly-awaited testimony against Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona.

On the 37th day of the impeachment trial, Carpio-Morales took to the podium as a “hostile witness” for the defence.

During the proceedings, Carpio-Morales told members of the Senate impeachment court that they have received a report from the government Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) that the Chief Justice maintains $10 million worth of deposits stashed in 82 accounts in five banks.

For his part, chief defence counsel Serafin Cuevas said that while maintaining a $10 deposit may be suspicious, there was no mention of this particular in the articles of impeachment against Corona.

On the other hand Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile observed that the dollar accounts should have been included in the statement of asset, liabilities and net worth of the Chief Justice.

“No mention of $10 million in the articles of impeachment, but the issue is inclusion and non-inclusion in the SALN (Statement of Assets and Liabilities and Networth). That is the main issue in Article II, whether the amount included is P1 or P1 billion,” Enriles said.

Aside from Carpio-Morales, Rep. Walden Bello of the pro-Aquino partylist Akbayan, and former partylist congressman Risa Hontiveros, Emmanuel Santos and Harvey Keh were also scheduled to attend and give their testimony on the $10 million account that Corona supposedly maintains.

Prior to Carpio-Morales’ testimony, Cuevas on Friday mentioned said that the defence would also prove that the investigation of the Ombudsman on the alleged Corona dollar account is illegal.

Likewise, Cuevas also cited Carpio-Morales’s opposition in the appointment of Corona as Chief Justice on May 17, 2010 by then President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Carpio-Morales, a former Supreme Court Justice who was appointed by Aquino in 2011 with the failed impeachment of then Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, is a known opponent of Corona.

The prosecution originally filed eight impeachment complaints against Corona. It was later reduced it to just three that include failure to disclose statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN), failure to meet stringent standards as SC chief justice and partiality in granting temporary restraining order in favour Arroyo who appointed Corona days after the May 10, 2010 elections.

According to the Defence, they will try to wrap up with the presentation of evidences within May.

Corona was impeached in December by the House of Representatives.