MIRIAM, RESIGNS FROM HOUSE PANEL / PROSECUTION IN DISARRAY
[PHOTO
- Vitaliano Aguirre]
MANILA,
MARCH 3, 2012 (MANILA TIMES)
PRIVATE prosecutor Vitaliano Aguirre has apologized to Sen. Miriam
Defensor-Santiago for deliberately covering his ears while she was admonishing
the prosecution panel during Wednesday's impeachment proceedings.
During his appearance on the ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC) program Morning on
Thursday, Aguirre admitted that his "hear-no-evil" gesture was uncalled for.
"I have already apologized to her (Santiago). Kung nasaktan ko 'yung damdamin
niya [If I hurt her feelings] for what I did, I apologize to her deeply," he
said.
The lawyer added that he would withdraw from the prosecution panel so as not
to affect the decision of the senator-judges.
Aguirre, however, expressed no regret over what he did, saying that it was
needed to make the senator-judges aware of the verbal abuses committed during
the impeachment trial, particularly against his colleagues and other lawmakers.
"'Yun lang ang nakikita kong paraan kasi binabastos na 'yung prosecution
[That is the only way I saw because the prosecution panel was being insulted],"
he added.
According to the private prosecutor, he is ready to accept whatever
punishment the impeachment court may impose on him.
"Whatever the consequences of my actions, I'll be open to accepting [the]
penalty," Aguirre said.
He added that in his 40 years of practicing law, Wednesday's proceedings
marked the first time that he was called a "fool" by a fellow lawyer and
senator, and on national television at that.
Before serving as a private prosecutor in the impeachment trial of Chief
Justice Renato Corona, Aguirre had represented high-profile personalities,
including Sen. Panfilo Lacson and freed Vizconde massacre suspect Hubert Webb.
He also served on the government probe body that investigated the so-called
2003 Oakwood Mutiny in Makati City (Metro Manila), led by soldier-turned-senator
Antonio Trillanes 4th.
FROM MANILA STANDARD
Prosecution in disarray; Tupas comes under fire by
Christine F. Herrera
THE cracks are spreading within the prosecution panel in the
impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona, with some of its members
accusing lead prosecutor and Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas Jr. (photo at left)
of bungling the case as a result of his "incompetence and treachery."
On Thursday, the lawmakers associated with prosecutor and Bayan Muna Rep.
Neri Colmenares slammed Tupas for betraying them with his "unilateral decision"
to drop Supreme Court Associate Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno as a possible
witness.
"We are not only disappointed, we are aghast. This is ... treachery," Bayan
Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño said. He said the original agreement within the panel was
to rest the case and make a reservation for Sereno's testimony on Article 7 of
the impeachment complaint in case the justice accepted the prosecution's
invitation to testify.
In other developments:
• Private prosecutor Vitaliano Aguirre II (photo at right) will no
longer appear before the Senate impeachment court because of his "antagonistic"
relationship with the senator-judges, particularly Senator Miriam Defensor
Santiago.
• A bid by a leftist lawmaker to have the Ombudsman seize P78 million of the
chief justice's assets was an abuse of court processes and constituted forum
shopping, the Defense panel said.
• Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile accused a Bangko Sentral bank examiner
of lying about Corona's bank records.
After Tupas told the court Wednesday that the prosecution would no longer
call Sereno, Casiño and two other left-leaning lawmakers, Gabriela Rep. Emmi de
Jesus and Act Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio, issued a statement attacking the lead
prosecutor.
Prosecution spokesman and House Assistant Majority Leader Miro Quimbo
defended Tupas, however, saying they no longer needed Sereno to testify because
of time constraints.
In a Feb. 29 letter to Colmenares, who had invited her to testify, Sereno
suggested that the decision of the prosecution to rest its case made her
appearance moot and academic.
Colmenares and other prosecutors who were presenting Article 7, which accuses
Corona of bias in favor of former President Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo, wanted
Sereno to testify against the chief justice.
In their statement afterward, the three left-leaning lawmakers accused Tupas
of "incompetence and weakening the case" against Corona.
"No amount of incompetence can explain Tupas' move. Is he getting orders from
his higher ups to just focus on the articles that do not include GMA [Arroyo]?"
one of them asked.
The three lawmakers assailed Tupas for going against the prosecution panel's
agreement to reserve its right to present Sereno pending her answer to
Colmenares' invitation.
"We wonder who ordered Tupas to close the door on Sereno's testimony. This is
alarming and appears part of a series of acts to downplay Corona's connection to
GMA," one of them said
But Quimbo said the prosecution panel could not wait for Sereno forever and
did not need her testimony to win.
The left-leaning lawmakers were incensed by Quimbo's assertion and demanded
that the prosecution continue to exert efforts to pave the way for Sereno's
appearance in the Senate impeachment court.
"When we filed the impeachment complaint, it was clear that Corona was being
made to account for his partiality and subservience to Arroyo. And now that
aspect of the case is being weakened by the lead prosecutor himself," one of
them said.
Tupas did not make a reservation for Sereno's possible testimony on Tuesday,
the lawmakers said.
On Wednesday, they said, Tupas initiated but subsequently dropped the motion
for a reservation on Article 7.
On Thursday, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile accused a Bangko Sentral bank
examiner of lying about Corona's bank records.
At a hearing of the Senate committee on banks, financial institutions and
currencies, panel chairman Senator Serge Osmeña III ordered central bank
examiner Jerry Leal to explain why he should not be cited for contempt as sought
by Enrile.
Enrile said he suspected that someone from the team that audited
Corona's bank accounts in September 2010 might have leaked them to the
prosecution panel, which attached them to a petition for a subpoena for Corona's
bank records.
Leal was part of a team auditing banks' compliance with the anti-money
laundering reforms that inquired into the account of Corona at PSBank's
Katipunan branch.
During the hearing, Enrile openly accused Leal of lying under oath to the
committee.
"He was evading my questions [during the last hearing], that is why I suspect
all along that he was the source of the leak. He did not tell the truth to this
committee," Enrile said.
Osmeña, however, said that Leal could not be immediately cited for contempt
until a majority of the members of the committee voted in favor of Enrile's
motion. With John Anthony Concepcion and Rey E.
Requejo
FROM THE INQUIRER
Tupas, Colmenares deny rift in Corona prosecution
team By Gil C. Cabacungan, Jr. Philippine Daily Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines—Iloilo Representative Niel Tupas Jr. denied Friday there
was a rift among members of the team of House members prosecuting Chief Justice
Renato Corona in his impeachment trial following the abrupt termination of the
presentation of prosecution evidence.
"No such thing," Tupas said. "The House panel decides based on what is best
for the case of the prosecution considering all the circumstances. We terminated
our presentation of evidence with the reservation on the dollar accounts of the
respondent. That is our decision."
Tupas said the decision to terminate the presentation of evidence was reached
via a consensus among members.
Bayan Muna Representative Neri Colmenares, who was initially
vocal about his objection to Tupas' decision, also denied on Friday that there
was rift between them.
Tupas' decision to end the present evidence against Corona precluded
testimony from Supreme Court Justice Lourdes Sereno who had been invited by
Colmenares to testify on her dissenting opinion on a temporary restraining order
issued by the Supreme Court that would have allowed former President Gloria
Macapagal Arroyo to leave the country last November.
Colmenares invited Sereno last Monday to appear at the impeachment trial on
March 1. But Tupas told Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile that the prosecution
was wrapping up its case, including Article VII of the complaint which accused
Corona of influencing the high court to issue the TRO.
"The constituency of Bayan Muna are highly disappointed with Congressman
Tupas by shutting the door to the testimony of Justice Sereno when the latter
has not even replied to my request letter for her invitation. It is a normal
trial practice to make a reservation and it can also be used in this case,"
Colmenares said Thursday.
In her subsequent reply to Colmenares, Sereno said she would not appear at
the trial because the prosecution had already rested its case.
"Even if that was the reply of Sereno, there was still a chance the notice to
rest would only be filed today and it could be included among the reservations
to article VII," said Colmenares.
However, in a text message to the Inquirer on Friday, Colmenares denied there
was a rift between him and Tupas although he admitted he initially felt bad
about the decision.
"There is no rift between me and Congressman Niel Tupas, I just felt bad
about losing this opportunity. The prosecution panel must now prepare for the
defense presentation of witnesses next week," Colmenares said.
Chief News Editor: Sol
Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE
NEWS ONLINE
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