SC junks all petitions on Corona’s impeachment

MANILA — The Supreme Court has dismissed all the petitions questioning the impeachment case filed against former Chief Justice Renato Corona.
In a three-page en banc resolution, the SC said there is no need anymore to discuss the constitutional issues as to the case including the surrounding questions as to the legality of the signatures of the 188 congressmen who filed the impeachment complaint against Corona.
The SC said since the new chief justice has been installed and Corona is no longer in power, thus, it is sound to dismiss the case on the ground the petitions have become moot.

President Benigno S. Aquino III appointed then Associate Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno as the Philippines’ 24th Chief Justice on Aug. 24, 2012.
“Indeed, the recent turn of events, including the appointment of a new chief justice, has rendered the petitions before us moot. Wherefore, we dismiss the consolidated petitions on the ground of mootness,” the SC said.
Dismissed are the petitions filed by Danilo Lihaylihay, lawyers Vladimir Cabigao, Vicente Millora and Oliver Lozano, Rev. Bernardo Magno, former Assemblyman Homobono Adaza, Atty. Allan Paguia, Herman Laurel and Rodolfo Salandanan.
Then Chief Justice Corona was convicted of culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust on May 29, 2012 by the Senate Impeachment Court.
The SC noted Corona immediately accepted the verdict and without any protest vacated his office.
The petitioners said the Impeachment Court abused its discretion when it allowed the presentation of evidence on charges of alleged corruption and unexplained wealth which violates petitioner’s right to due process because Article II of the complaint did not mention “graft and corruption”.
They added that it was clear under Section 2, Article XI of the 1987 Constitution that “graft and corruption” is a separate and distinct ground from “culpable violation of the Constitution” and “betrayal of public trust”.
They argued that the former Chief Justice questioned the issuance of subpoena for the production of his alleged bank accounts as requested by the prosecution despite the same being the result of an illegal act considering that those documents submitted by the prosecution violate the absolute confidentiality of such accounts under Section 8 of Republic Act No. 6426, otherwise known as the “Foreign Currency Deposits Act”, which is also penalized under Section 10 of the same.