Defense camp accused of forum shopping

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

MANILA -- Prosecutors are accusing the camp of Chief Justice Renato Corona of forum shopping after it was reported that a petition has been filed before the Supreme Court (SC) seeking to annul the entire impeachment proceedings in the Senate.

“Under the law, this is what we call forum shopping wherein they are now seeking a remedy from the court they think will render a favorable decision,” Aurora Representative Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, one of the spokespersons for the prosecution panel, said.

The prosecution team said they have received copies of a petition to be filed at the SC asking for the declaration of the impeachment complaint as null and void. The defense, according to the prosecution, also stated that the impeachment court violated criminal procedures on rules of evidence; and that it will request the impeachment court to temporarily stop the proceedings while their petition for certiorari has not been taken up.

They said they have also received reports that the SC will call for a special en banc hearing Thursday to tackle the said petition.

“We view this petition with deep alarm. What they want to do is disturbing considering that they want to disregard everything that happened in the past two months,” House Deputy Majority Leader Romero Frederico “Miro” Quimbo, also a spokesperson for the prosecution panel, stressed.

Deputy Speaker Lorenzo “Erin” Taňada III said he finds the timing of Corona’s camp “very suspicious” considering that the prosecutors are already wrapping up presentation which would show that the Chief Justice underdeclared his assets in his 2002 to 2010 statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN).

The prosecution team also stressed that the Senate sitting as an impeachment court, in this case, is more powerful than the SC. Under the Constitution, the Senate has the sole power to try impeachment cases.

They said Philippine Savings Bank (PSBank) should follow the subpoena issued by the impeachment court allowing the prosecution to present as evidence the dollar accounts allegedly owned by the Chief Justice.

On Wednesday morning, the PSBank filed a petition for temporary restraining order to stop the Senate court from ordering them to release the said accounts.

It was earlier reported that one of the supposed dollar accounts of Corona was opened with a $700,000 initial deposit.

Bank managers of PSBank and Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) are scheduled to testify before the impeachment court Wednesday afternoon. (Kathrina Alvarez/Sunnex)