Corona found guilty!, hoisted with his own petard, or trapped on his own explanations.

A momentous historical moment has occurred today! A mighty and highly placed public official, no less than the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court has been found guilty of not declaring dollar and peso account in his SALN. Sweet justice, if a lowly government court interpreter can be dismissed for not declaring her market stall in her SALN, how much more a man expected to be of the best moral character, probity and impeccable credentials? Justice has triumphed and we hope that the cancer of graft and corruption will be gradually eliminated from the sickest man of Asia.

The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court has been found guilty, today May 29, 2012, by a vote of 20-3, of not declaring his dollar accounts and cash deposits in his SALN, a violation of RA 6426. The senate did not value much his reasons, the interpretation of CJ Corona of RA-64326 as giving absolute confidentiality of dollar deposits, and for the comingling nature of his peso deposits. The main information itself came from CJ Corona! when he declared he has 2.4 million US dollars and 80 million pesos. Why did Corona chose to reveal these damning facts? He wanted to justify his ability to afford the many properties he bought. Unfortunately, he did not present any documents in his opening statement on the last day of witness presentation!

Unfortunately for him too, the testimony of the hostile witness for defense, the Ombudsman, made an explicit presentation of his bank account transactions, which contributed to his admission that he has bank deposits in order to mitigate the damaging repercussion of the Ombudsman's revelations. In other words, Corona fell into his own (defense) trap, "hoisted with his own petard", as Shakespear may say. So much for the brilliance of the lead defense council Serafin Cuevas, a former law professor, a former SC justice himself, but still esteemed by his former students.

We are amused by the usual antics and theatrics of Senator-Judge Miriam Defensor Santiago. She, and senators Bongbong Marcos, and Joker Arroyo casted the not-guilty votes.