Aquino defends prosecution team

Friday, February 24, 2012

MANILA -- President Benigno Aquino III defended on Friday the prosecution team from allegedly being ill-prepared in facing the Senate impeachment court.

"I think the prosecutors have done really very well," Aquino told reporters in Cavite province.

He cited specifically the ability of the prosecution panel to prove the discrepancy on the net worth of impeached Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona with his bank deposits and pieces of property.

"They've (prosecution lawyers) managed to unearth other alleged properties that are not part of the statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN). They have unearthed cash which is significantly different from that which was stated under oath in the SALN," he said.

Some sectors, including senator-judges, have observed that the prosecution team was not prepared most of the time during the past 23 days of the impeachment trial.

There were instances that the court had to finish the hearing early because the prosecution was not prepared with the witnesses.

At the same time, despite the dropping of the three complaints against Corona, the President expressed optimism that the prosecution panel could present pieces of evidence on the other Articles of Impeachment, such as on the 7th and 8th.

"You have to remember that after all the eight Articles, you only have to convict on one - to have him (Corona) convicted and removed from office," he said. (SDR/Sunnex)