'Still no valid proof of Corona's ill-gotten wealth'

MANILA, Philippines - Prosecutors in the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona have not established convincing evidence of corruption even after the seventh hearing on the complaint, according to the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP).

In a bulletin issued as part of its independent monitoring of the trial, the IBP said the prosecution’s matching Corona’s income tax returns (ITRs) with his statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALNs) has not established prima facie presumption of guilt to warrant Corona’s conviction.

“The documents that Sen. Ralph Recto was able to draw out from Bureau of Internal Revenue Commissioner Kim Henares are still deficient to prove that CJ is prima facie guilty of graft and corruption,” the IBP stressed.

In raising its observation, the IBP cited Republic Act

1379, or the law stipulating the handling of properties found to have been unlawfully acquired by public officers or employees. The lawyers’ group said RA 1379 states that prima facie guilt can be established “only if the public officer during his incumbency acquired an amount of property manifestly out of proportion to his salary as such public officer or employee and to his other lawful income and income from legitimately acquired property.”

“The prosecution therefore needs to show not only CJ’s salary, but also the fact the CJ does not have any ‘other lawful income’ and ‘income from legitimately acquired property’ before it can claim that it has prima facie proven that CJ is guilty of graft and corruption,” IBP explained.

“Under the law on ill-gotten or unexplained wealth, it is not only the salary but also ‘other lawful income that is considered in explaining whether wealth acquired by an official is not commensurate or is unexplained,” IBP spokesman and Northern Luzon governor Dennis Habawel said.

Earlier, lawyer Romulo Macalintal questioned the prosecution panel’s justification for presenting the ITRs of the Chief Justice and his wife Cristina during hearings last Wednesday and Thursday.

Macalintal explained that showing the discrepancy between Corona’s income and assets through the testimony of Commissioner Henares – a member of President Aquino’s Cabinet – would not suffice to establish proof that several assets of the Coronas were ill-gotten.

He believes the Chief Justice can afford to purchase millions worth of properties because he has been getting some P2.4 million per year from tax-exempt allowances for his being a member of the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, Senate Electoral Tribunal and House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal.

He debunked the claim of Henares that Corona only receives an average of P600,000 per year based on the alpha list of taxpayers from the Supreme Court.