The Philippine Online Chronicles

Senators sitting as judges in the ongoing impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona reproached House prosecutors on Wednesday for revealing the documents on Corona’s alleged 45 properties even before the trial.

On the trial’s 11th day, Senator-judge Francis Escudero noted that only 21 alleged Corona properties, including parking spaces, were actually presented before the impeachment court by the prosecution panel, contrary to its earlier allegation of 45 properties.

Days before the start of the trial, House prosecutors had asked the Senate to subpoena documents on the 45 properties allegedly belonging to Corona, 23 of which are located in Quezon City, according to an Interaksyon report. Corona had denied the prosecution’s charge, saying he only owns 5 out of the 45 properties.

During Wednesday’s session, prosecution head Rep. Niel Tupas Jr. admitted that Corona owns only 24 of the 45 properties, saying other properties were either cancelled or sold.

Senator-judge Jinggoy Estrada told prosecutors to refrain from revealing papers to the public that were not presented as evidence.

“So yung 21 or 24 properties, hindi pagmamay-ari ni Corona? Forty-five sinasabi niyo eh,” Senator Estrada said.

Tupas explained that the prosecution did not leak the documents on the 45 properties to the media. He said it was the Land Registration Authority (LRA) which disclosed the documents before they were presented to the Senate impeachment court.

" We did not release it to the media.  We filed it to the impeachment tribunal," Tupas said.

A Jan. 12 ANC report by RG Cruz, however, shows Rep. Tupas and other members of the prosecution panel presenting the documents on Corona’s alleged properties to the media in a press briefing.

Senator-judge Gringo Honasan remarked that the "trial outside the courtroom is proceeding faster than the trial inside the courtroom.”

In the latest development, a copy of the contract to sell of the Burgundy Plaza unit allegedly owned by Corona and her wife was submitted to the Senate impeachment court.

Prosecutors had alleged that the Burgundy unit was worth P2.7 million but Corona said in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth that the current fair market value of the property was P921,090.