General denial not enough to refute AMLC report - prosecution

MANILA, Philippines - The prosecution team believes that a"general denial" of Chief Justice Renato Corona on his alleged $10 million deposits in various bank accounts would be insufficient to refute the testimony of and official documents presented by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales to the impeachment court.

Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Angara, one of the spokesmen of the House of Representatives' prosecution panel, said any general statement won't be enough to disprove official documents from a government agency such as the Anti-Money Laundering Council.

"Kung general denial lang mahinang depensa [when you're] up against official documents of the AMLC. Sa ilalim ng batas may regularidad, may trust iyan. Hindi nagsisinungaling ang opisyal na dokumento because he (Corona) will be answering [questions] not as a Chief Justice but in his personal capacity. Sa bigat ng dokumento, talo ang general denial," Angara said in a GMANews TV interview.

The defense panel had said that Corona will answer all the allegations against him once he takes the witness stand next Tuesday.

Lawyer Karen Jimeno, a spokesperson of the defense panel, said she was not surprised when the Ombudsman appeared before the impeachment court with documents that served as her bases for ordering an investigation in the complaint filed recently against Corona.

"What came as a surprise was the participation of AMLC in her investigation. The law is very clear that investigation on certain accounts may only be undertaken if there are specific crimes and even then, that requires a resolution from the AMLC. Nagulat kami that there's another agency involved in this," Jimeno said in the same interview.

She also said that if the impeachment court deemed it necessary to summon bank managers as well as AMLC officials and personnel who prepared the report given to Carpio-Morales, there is no stopping the court from doing so.

Angara, meanwhile, said if the court acquits Corona, the prosecution would still need to assess whether to file another impeachment complaint against the Chief Justice within the year.

He said the May 2013 polls may be one of the considerations as House members may be unwilling to be part of the prosecution as they will be busy with the election campaign season. - Cheryl M. Arcibal