Corona ready to testify before impeachment court

The defense team on Tuesday said they are now ready to discuss the dollar account issue and present Chief Justice Renato Corona himself as witness before the impeachment court.
 
“We are ready to meet this issue head-on. We will confront the $10 million alleged account,” defense counsel Jose Roy told the senator-judges.
 
The Corona camp requested the court to compel Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, Akbayan Party-list Rep. Walden Bello, former Akbayan Party-list Rep. Risa Hontiveros and four others to appear as hostile witnesses for the defense.
 
Bello and Hontiveros, along with Harvey Keh, Ruperto Alerosa, Albert Concepcion and Gibby Gorres, have filed forfeiture cases against Corona before the Ombudsman seeking the confiscation of the chief justice’s alleged unexplained wealth.
 
Roy said if Morales and the six complainants took the witness stand, the defense will present Corona to personally rebut their testimonies.
 
“We are happy that you are cooperating with us,” Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile told the defense.
 
Enrile ruled that the court will grant the request for subpoena, including Bello despite the interparliamentary courtesy between the Senate and the House of Representatives.
 
Meanwhile, Senator Panfilo Lacson asked the Corona camp if their client is willing to disclose his dollar accounts.
 
“If Corona will take the witness stand and invoke the law on foreign deposit accounts, we will be back to zero,” Lacson said.
 
Roy responded that their panel has not discussed whether the chief justice will sign the waiver allowing the opening of his foreign accounts but he noted that there is a “strong possibility” that Corona will “disclose everything.”
 
Senator Jinggoy Estrada, on the other hand, assured that the chief justice will be treated properly and will not be disrespected by the impeachment court.
 
The defense team appealed for a two-day break to prepare for their new witnesses.
 
Enrile granted the motion and dismissed the trial until May 14, Monday at 2 p.m.


Credit: Yahoo! News

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