The Corona Impeachment Trial: Week 4 Begins

Looking back on the last two weeks, the impeachment trial of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona has been moving at a snail's pace, as prosecutors delved into CJ Corona's Statement of Assets, Liabilities - Net Worth (SALN). More than once, the prosecution has bumbled, with one of their witnesses disproving the supposed discount that Corona had gotten on a penthouse apartment (due to storm damage, it was sold at a reduced price), as well as the apparent lack of coordination between prosecutors, wherein one prosecutor claimed that Corona owned 45 properties, and another denying that such a claim was leveled.

There were moments of levity, as well. Senator Lito Lapid, known for his reticence in speaking publicly, good-naturedly asked the audience, as well as his fellow Senators, why they were laughing at his rare speaking opportunity. Sen. Lapid's question delivered an unexpected result, when the prosecutor being asked admitted that the evidence being presented was to prove "unexplained wealth." This was a blunder by the prosecution since the Senate had already disallowed the presentation of such evidence to support Article 2.4  of the impeachment complaint.

This week, the prosecution aims to tackle Article 3 of the impeachment complaint, which tackles CJ Corona's alleged betrayal of trust. Apparently, according to a report in the Manila Standard Today, lead prosecutor Niel Tupas has been removed from his role as lead prosecutor due to his grandstanding. Instead, Akbayan party-list representative Arlene Bag-ao will take the lead in dealing with Article 3. Here's hoping that the prosecution gets its act together, and manages to present concrete evidence to support the article.