Philippines' top judge testifies at Senate trial

Manila: Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona much anticipated testimony in his own impeachment trial went into an unexpected pause on Tuesday after he suddenly stormed out of the Senate hearing.

The highest ranking non-elected official of the country, on trial for allegedly committing unconstitutional acts and refusing to bare his assets, left the hearing three hours after into the proceedings where he gave his testimony before Senators.

Confusion blanketed the impeachment trial proceedings after Corona around 5:30pm suddenly left the Senate session hall after he signed a waiver before a live television authorising that his bank accounts be opened while at the same time daring the 189 members of the House of Representatives who signed his impeachment to also do the same.

“I signed this waiver authorising that my bank accounts and other assets be opened and investigated on condition that members of the House also do the same,” he said before hastily leaving the Senate session hall.

The Senators are sitting in the trial as members of the impeachment tribunal while members of the House of Representatives act as prosecutors. Corona’s presence at the Senate Tuesday was the first time he appeared before the Upper Chamber lawmakers convening as an impeachment court.

Corona, 63, was seen around 6pm being wheeled out of the Senate Building in suburban Pasay City in a wheelchair after the Chief Justice’s blood sugar level shot up as a result of the tension in the five-month-old impeachment proceedings, his chief legal counsel, Serafin Cuevas said.

“The tension was too much for him and it is already affecting his health,” he said.

Earlier, Corona made a manifestation for his case before the Senate.

During his testimony, Corona denied accusations made in the press that he had hidden wealth.
“I did not steal anything,” he stressed while fending off allegations from the prosecution panel that he had accumulated 45 properties. “I only own three properties, not 45,” he said.

Also he denied owning 82 dollar accounts with combined deposits amounting to $10 million as he had been accused by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales of maintaining.

“What would I do with that many bank accounts?” he said in Filipino.

However, he admitted to investing in currency trading.

He said that most of the money and his wife earned were invested in the currency market. “We are a simple family leading simple lives,” he said, adding that trading in foreign currency is where most of out investments are.

The impeachment trial of Corona had deeply divided Filipinos.

In his testimony, Corona had accused President Benigno Aquino III of getting back at him after the Supreme Court affirmed its ruling Hacienda Luisita, a sprawling several thousand hectares plantation owned by the Aquino-Cojuangco family.

According to Cuevas, Corona would attend the continuation of his impeachment trial on Wednesday to complete his testimony.