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Saturday, January 14, 2012

‘CJ has ill-gotten wealth’

By Delon Porcalla
The Philippine Star

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The Senate session hall has been spruced up for the
impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona
starting Jan. 16. Manny Marcelo

MANILA, Philippines – A key member of President Aquino’s Cabinet said yesterday the government has evidence to prove that Chief Justice Renato Corona has ill-gotten wealth that could not have been acquired with his salary in the judiciary, and the evidence would be presented by the House prosecution team in the impeachment trial.

“The House prosecution panel obtained documents that would show that Corona may have amassed ill-gotten wealth, including at least four multimillion-peso real estate properties,” Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs Ronald Llamas said in a statement.

Corona, who was appointed to the Supreme Court (SC) in 2001 and promoted to chief justice in May 2010, “could not have paid for (the properties) out of his salary and allowances as an associate justice and chief justice of the SC,” Llamas declared.

Llamas believes that the government’s case is “very strong” and that all of the pieces of evidence – including documents on a P14.5-million penthouse unit at the Bellagio condominium in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig – could withstand “the most rigorous scrutiny” by the senator-judges in Corona’s trial.

Corona said yesterday that his acquisition of the Bellagio unit was aboveboard.

Llamas said the impeachment complaint “is the product of thorough research and inputs submitted by concerned citizens who could no longer stand the willful and deliberate trampling of the Constitution and the rule of law by Corona,” Llamas said.

“The impeachment complaint is not the complaint of 188 representatives of the people against Corona. It is the complaint of the overwhelming majority of Filipinos who want Corona removed because they want a clean, honest and impartial judiciary,” Llamas said.

“Corona sits in the High Tribunal on the basis of an illegal appointment by disgraced former President Arroyo who now faces serious charges of electoral sabotage and plunder during her nine years of misrule,” Llamas said.

He said that apart from being a midnight appointee as chief justice, “Corona has shown obvious partiality and bias for Arroyo in 19 cases brought before the Supreme Court.”

Llamas was reacting to the recent statement of court administrator and spokesman Midas Marquez that his (Llamas’) admission that Corona’s likely acquittal by the Senate sitting as an impeachment court was an indication that the cases against him are weak.

The Cabinet member said he was merely talking of likely outcomes in the trial, and “an acquittal is a possibility, just as a conviction is also a distinct – and very real – possibility.”

“For the SC spokesman to speculate that the senator-judges would dismiss the complaint because it is weak is very unseemly, and preempts the decision of the Senate. He has no authority to spread rumors about how the senator-judges would vote,” Llamas said.

Zeroing in on Corona’s SALN

Meanwhile, the House prosecution panel will ask the Senate impeachment court to subpoena Corona’s statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) for 2010.

“They are refusing to release the SALN despite our repeated appeal. We have no option but to ask the impeachment court to subpoena it during the trial,” panel spokesman Marikina Rep. Miro Quimbo told a news conference.

Quimbo said prosecutors want to find out if Corona made a “proper declaration” of the 300-square-meter penthouse unit at the Bellagio Tower in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, which the Chief Justice and his wife acquired in 2009 for P14.5 million.

“We want to ask him how they purchased the property, if they had the legal means to acquire it. We will prove that they did not have such means,” he said.

Quimbo said under the law on forfeiture, an asset is deemed ill-gotten if its owner does not have the legal resources to own it.

He said they would also ask the impeachment court to subpoena sales documents and witnesses from Megaworld Corp., owner of the Bellagio condominium complex.

“We want to find out if P14.5 million was the correct selling price for the Coronas’ penthouse. The unit is now worth at least P30 million. We do not think it was worth only P14.5 million two years ago. The difference between the selling price for the Coronas and prevailing market prices could have been a gift to the Chief Justice and his wife,” he said.

In his answer to the impeachment complaint, the Chief Justice acknowledged declaring a 300-square-meter property in his SALN but gave no other details.

Two other panel members, Reps. Erin Tañada of Quezon and Juan Edgardo Angara of Aurora, said they did not believe that two to three congressmen would testify for Corona’s defense.

“Good luck to them, if they do testify,” Angara said.

They also took exception to statements from some senators that they are violating the sub-judice rule of the Senate in revealing the Coronas’ Bellagio penthouse.

“This is a case of the people versus the Chief Justice. The people have a right to know,” Tañada said.

Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas Jr., who heads the prosecution panel, said he and his colleagues did not touch on the merits of the impeachment charges in revealing the Bellagio penthouse.

“We only stated a fact as alleged in the complaint. Further, the people have the right to know the facts in an impeachment proceeding, which is actually the power of the sovereign people,” he said.

Tañada also said they would agree to a pre-trial conference but not to Corona’s proposal for a preliminary hearing on how the House impeached him.

“That motion is clearly intended to delay the trial proper,” he said.

He said a pre-trial conference could expedite the trial as the prosecution and the defense could agree on issues that no longer have to be proven. – With Jess Diaz

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=764944&publicationSubCategoryId=63

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Corona owns another luxe condo in Taguig, say prosecutors

By Cynthia D. Balana
Philippine Daily Inquirer

YOU CAN’T GO HOME AGAIN This house at 95
Xavierville Avenue in Quezon City is the registered
address of Chief Justice Renato Corona.
JOAN BONDOC

Another condominium unit, this time at the plush Bonifacio Ridge in Taguig City, will supposedly form part of the evidence of graft and corruption at the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona.

The two-bedroom unit has a floor area of 113.02 square meters, a parking slot, and is worth about P5-8 million, according to a source in the 11-member prosecuting panel from the House of Representatives.

The source, who requested anonymity for lack of clearance to speak on the matter, quoted Certificate of Title No. 5582.

Bonifacio Global City is home to such upscale residential condominium buildings as Essensa, Serendra, Pacific Plaza Towers, Bonifacio Ridge, The Bellagio and Regent Parkway.

Its website states that Bonifacio Ridge is a 2-tower residential condominium development by Mackay Properties. It is located right beside Fairway 13 of the Manila Golf course and offers fantastic views of the greens as well as the skyline of Makati City’s central business district.

On Tuesday, the prosecution panel released documents showing that Corona and his wife purchased in December 2009 a P14.51-million, 303.5-sq-m unit with three parking slots at Megaworld Corp.’s The Bellagio in December 2009.

The panel said the unit was one of four prime properties under the name of the Corona couple.

The third property to be presented by the prosecution team is another condominium unit in Makati, and the fourth, recent acquisitions, are a house and lot in Quezon City, according to the source in the panel.

The source described the four properties as “two big, one medium and one small” in terms of space, not necessarily in terms of the amount involved.

No comment

Serafin Cuevas, Corona’s lead counsel, declined to comment on the latest allegation of graft against the Chief Justice.

“We’re not yet in trial. They have yet to prove that Corona owns [those properties],” he said.

Cuevas also warned the House prosecution panel against releasing alleged evidence of graft against the Chief Justice which are not included in the articles of impeachment.

“That’s not embodied in their complaint. Under the Rules of Procedure, you cannot present evidence on anything that is not alleged in your pleading,” Cuevas said.

He said the panel should not present its evidence against Corona “piecemeal.”

“If they included that [in the complaint], we could have controverted that in our answer. I thought they were very well prepared. Why are they still looking for evidence now?” he said.

Megaworld mum

In a statement sent by investor relations officer John Hao, Megaworld kept mum on the House prosecution’s claim that Corona had acquired a penthouse unit at The Bellagio.

“The company has a privacy policy under which it is committed to maintain all client information in strictest confidence. Consistent with this commitment, the company does not, as a matter of policy, disclose information pertaining to business dealings with its clients,” said Megaworld, which is led by property tycoon Andrew Tan.

If the company is summoned to testify at the impeachment trial, “we shall comply with the official orders of the authorities in a proper forum,” an official Megaworld spokesperson said.

The Corona issue had no impact on the trading of Megaworld’s shares at the stock market yesterday, dealers said.

Its shares closed unchanged at P1.74 per share, giving it a market capitalization of P44.6 billion. Shares of its parent firm, Alliance Global Group Inc., rose by 2.1 percent to P10.66, giving it a P107.22-billion market cap.

Both companies are part of the main Philippine Stock Exchange index, a basket of the Philippines’ largest and most liquid companies.

A stock dealer said that while the Corona issue had no fundamental effect on Megaworld, it would be interesting to find out who had paid for the penthouse unit and whether the payment was made in cash or check.

Final assignments

At a news briefing, Marikina Representative Romero Quimbo, the panel spokesperson, announced the final assignments of the House prosecutors who will argue the eight articles of impeachment against Corona at the Senate sitting as an impeachment court.

Article 1, concerning Corona’s purported partiality and loyalty to former President and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, will be handled by Deputy Speaker Raul Daza, Bayan Muna Representative Neri Colmenares and Iloilo Representative Niel Tupas Jr., the chief prosecutor.

Article 2, concerning Corona’s statement of assets, liabilities and net worth, will be handled by Pangasinan Representative Marilyn Primicias-Aggabas and Dasmariñas City Representative Elpidio Barzaga Jr.

Article 3, concerning the Chief Justice’s competence, integrity, probity and independence, or lack of it, which also involves ex-parte communication and his wife, will be handled by Isabela Representative Giorgidi Aggabao, Akbayan Representative Kaka Bag-ao and Citizens’ Battle Against Corruption Representative Sherwin Tugna.

Article 4, concerning the Supreme Court’s temporary restraining order (TRO) on the travel ban on Arroyo, will be handled by Bag-ao and Oriental Mindoro Representative Reynaldo Umali.

Article 5, concerning the flip-flopping decisions of the Chief Justice, particularly on the issues of the League of Cities, Dinagat Island, as well as the Philippine Airlines’ union of flight attendants, will be handled by Barzaga and Aggabao.

Article 6, concerning the formation of the Supreme Court ethics committee on the case of Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo and the charge of plagiarism against him, will be handled by Tugna and Ilocos Norte Representative Rodolfo Fariñas.

Article 7, concerning the hasty issuance of the TRO on the watch-list order on Arroyo, will be handled by Colmenares and Daza.

Article 8, concerning the special allowance of justices as well as the alleged irregularities in the use of the Judicial Development Fund, will be handled by Umali and Aggabao.

Preparations

Quimbo said the House prosecutors would be assisted by teams of private counsels.

He said the panel and the private counsels had been divided into smaller groups and were meeting regularly to prepare for the Senate trial.

Quimbo admitted that the Corona impeachment was a difficult one. He said the fact that practically all lawyers were beholden to the Chief Justice added to the challenge.

“But with the level of preparation that is being undertaken every day that passes, we are becoming more confident that we will be able to prove our case,” he said. With reports from Marlon Ramos and Doris C. Dumlao

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/122655/corona-owns-another-luxe-condo-in-taguig-say-prosecutors

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Corona owns house in La Vista, condo in Makati: sources

by RG Cruz
ABS-CBN News

MANILA, Philippines – Two sources confirmed to ABS-CBN News that Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona also owns a house in the posh La Vista Village Quezon City as well as another condominium unit in Makati City.

This is on top of his registered house in 95 Xavierville Loyola Heights Quezon City, and condominium units he purportedly owns at the Bonifacio Ridge, and the Bellagio at the Fort, Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.

Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas on Tuesday showed media documents that show Corona and his wife had purchased a 300-square-meter penthouse condominium unit in the Bellagio.

Members of the prosecution team have declined to comment on the other properties supposedly owned by Corona after senator-judges scolded them for breaking the rules of impeachment by releasing information that would touch on merits of the case.

Impeachment spokesperson Miro Quimbo said they have no press briefing today. “None muna today as we are finalizing our plans for the preliminary objections. We have a deadline to file our opposition to it,” he said.

Among the issues raised against Corona in the impeachment complaint is his non-dislosure of his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN).He is also suspected of accumulating ill gotten wealth.

Supreme Court spokesman Jose Midas Marquez earlier said it is not unrealistic for Corona to be able to afford a condo at the Fort in Bonifacio Global City.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/01/05/12/corona-owns-house-la-vista-condo-makati-sources

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Corona defends condo purchase

By Edu Punay
The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines – Chief Justice Renato Corona has admitted owning a condominium unit in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, but his lawyer said it is conjugal property and dismissed as “conjectural and speculative” insinuations that it was a product of ill-gotten wealth.

Corona’s lead lawyer, retired Supreme Court justice Serafin Cuevas, said the embattled Chief Justice had already

addressed the issue in his rebuttal of the Articles of Impeachment submitted to the Senate last Dec. 26.

“They are really trying to demonize the CJ,” Cuevas told reporters.

“My honest opinion is it (public disclosure of the property) should not have been done because we are prohibited from discussing in public the merits and demerits of our respective articulation or postulation. That is in accordance to the rules of the Senate. By doing so, it’s like they are arguing this case before the public,” he said.

The House, in its complaint filed last Dec. 12 and signed by 188 congressmen, had alleged that the property could have come from ill-gotten wealth, but presented no proof.

“Complainants speculate that he (Corona) has not reported this in his SALN (Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth) and that its price is beyond his income as a public official. CJ Corona admits that he and his wife purchased on installment a 300-sq. m. apartment in Taguig, declared in his SALN when they acquired it,” he said, quoting Corona’s answer.

Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas, head of the 11-member House prosecution panel, presented to the media last Tuesday documents showing that Corona and his wife Ma. Cristina had bought a 303.5-square meter unit and three parking slots at the Bellagio in December 2009 and were given the corresponding titles in their names in January 2010. The unit is on the 38th floor.

Why hire private lawyers?

Meanwhile, Corona’s lawyers are also questioning the House prosecution team’s plan to hire the services of private lawyers.

Cuevas said that based on impeachment rules of procedures, the House panel should be the “sole prosecutor” in the case.

“The House of Representatives shall act as the sole prosecutor at the trial in the Senate through a committee of 11 members thereof to be elected by a majority vote,” he said, quoting Rule VI, Section 15 of the House rules of procedure in impeachment proceedings.

“They’re saying they are prepared, that they are competent. Then why do they need private prosecutors?” Cuevas said in Filipino.

Cuevas said the House prosecution panel should not use as an excuse the participation of private prosecutors in the impeachment trial of former President Joseph Estrada.

“They are citing that (Estrada impeachment) as jurisprudence of precedent. How can that be when that was not terminated? That was not finished,” Cuevas argued.

“Aren’t (prosecutors) expected to comply with (House) rules first before rules of Senate?” another Corona lawyer, Dennis Manalo, asked in a separate interview.

The Chief Justice’s lawyers were reacting to the reported move of the House prosecution team to tap lawyer Mario Bautista as chief private prosecutor. It was Bautista, a private prosecutor in the impeachment trial of Estrada, who presented key witness Clarissa Ocampo before the Senate impeachment court. Ten private law firms have reportedly offered to help the prosecution panel.

Corona’s lawyers also rebuffed the prosecution panel’s allegation that they were delaying the impeachment proceedings with their plea for preliminary hearing in the Senate.

“They say we are delaying the proceedings… but that’s part of our answer and the law allows that,” he said.

“I would like to believe the first day will not proceed immediately on the trial of the merits. There are so many preliminaries that may take place and may eat up the agenda of the impeachment court of that day,” Cuevas said. “Second, we have alleged in our answer an affirmative defense.”

Cautioned

A day after releasing documents on Corona’s alleged questionable acquisition of property in Fort Bonifacio Global City, the House prosecution panel was reminded that it might have violated the rules of the impeachment trial with its disclosure.

“As a senator, I cannot sit idly by and watch blatant violations of our rules of procedure on impeachment trials that unambiguously prohibit senator-judges as well as the prosecutors, the person impeached, their counsels and witnesses from making any comments and disclosures in public pertaining to the merits of a pending impeachment trial,” Sen. Panfilo Lacson said in a statement.

“If we allow such undisciplined public presentation of evidence by any party in utter disregard of the ethics of their legal profession to continue, the Senate may lose control of the situation and I am certain it will damage not just the Senate as an impeachment court, but the sacredness of the whole impeachment process as well,” Lacson said.

“Hopefully, if they want to say anything, let them say it before the impeachment court and hopefully they will realize that they are bound by the rules on decorum that they cannot use gutter language so to speak when they are appearing before the Senate impeachment court,” Sen. Francis Escudero said.

“They should present their evidence to the Senate. They should not present it to the media,” Sen. Jinggoy Estrada said. “It will be the impeachment court that will eventually decide on the case.” – With Marvin Sy, Christina Mendez, Helen Flores

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