MANILA, Philippines - The Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, has summoned Justice Secretary Leila de Lima to testify in the trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona next week.
De Lima confirmed yesterday that she is set to testify for the House prosecution panel in the impeachment trial.
“I was subpoenaed so I have no choice (but to abide by the order),” she said.
De Lima said she has been tapped by the prosecution to tackle Article 7 of the impeachment complaint. This is about the Supreme Court’s issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the inclusion of former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her husband Jose Miguel in a government travel watch list.
“I think my testimony might be necessary or essential because if you will recall, this case stemmed from the TRO issued on the WLO (watchlist order) or my order not to allow the former president to leave the country,” she explained.
In a statement last Dec. 15, De Lima had openly criticized Corona by calling him a “tyrant” and “walking constitutional violation.”
De Lima is also the subject of contempt charges in the SC for defying the TRO last November that could have allowed Arroyo to leave the country while facing a poll fraud case.
In the subpoena received by her office yesterday morning, De Lima was directed to appear before the impeachment court for the hearing on Wednesday, Feb. 22.
She was also ordered to bring with her 11 documents requested by the prosecution panel in support of Article 7 of the impeachment complaint, including immigration records of the flight of Corona in October and November last year before the issuance of the TRO.
The prosecution wants to present De Lima’s testimony to prove Corona hurriedly returned to the country last Nov. 10 to grant the TRO petition of Arroyo in the SC.
Her testimonies will also dwell on the circumstances surrounding the various criminal cases that have been filed against the Arroyos, including their intention to travel for other reasons.
The prosecution also wanted to prove through De Lima that the service of the TRO to the Department of Justice was attempted quickly so that the former president and her husband could leave the country while being prosecuted for electoral sabotage.
Under Article 7, Corona is accused of “Partiality in granting a temporary restraining order in favor of Arroyo and her husband... in order to give them an opportunity to escape prosecution and to frustrate the ends of justice, and in distorting the Supreme Court decision on the effectivity of the TRO in view of a clear failure to comply with the conditions of the Supreme Court’s own TRO.”
The allegation was reportedly placed third on the list of presentation of articles by the House prosecution team.
- By Edu Punay (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)
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