Solon: Filing ‘corrected’ SALN will strengthen prosecution case

IF IMPEACHED Chief Justice Renato Corona files a “corrected” statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) for 2011, he would in effect be admitting irregularities in the SALNS he previously filed, a spokesman for the prosecution team said yesterday.

“He (Corona) would be admitting that he repeatedly filed under oath a wrong SALN. It would prove that the case of the prosecution is strong,” House Deputy Speaker Lorenzo “Erin” Tañada III said in a text message.

“Moreover, if it were

Public officials are given until April 30 to file their SALNS

not for the trial, we would never find out that CJ Corona was hiding assets and not truthfully declaring his SALN. Consequently, he should be removed from the SC,” Tañada, one of the spokespersons for the prosecution panel, added.

Betryal

Corona is accused of betraying public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution for his failure to disclose his SALNS truthfully.

At least 188 members of the House of Represen- tatives who signed the impeachment complaint also said that the chief magistrate should be removed from office for his failure to show competence, integrity, probity and independence after flip-flopping in final and executory cases; and for his alleged partiality in granting a temporary restraining order in favor of the Arroyo couple.

Corona on Wednesday told reporters that he would “fill out everything” in his SALN for 2011.

“We are not hiding anything,” he said.

Public officials are given until April 30 to file their SALNS.

Best approach

Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, also a spokesman for the prosecution, added that filing a corrected SALN would be the “best approach” for Corona “since any omission or misdeclaration have been made public anyway during the impeachment trial.”

Earlier, lead defense counsel Serafin Cuevas told the impeachment court that a SALN might be corrected if there was no malice in the errors committed.

“If in the preparation and submission of SALN, a public official making the same has relied on the valuation made by an official of government, it must be in good faith,” he argued.

“No presumption of malice could enter and therefore, if there’s no malice, then the SALN if there are errors, irregularities, infirmities may be ordered corrected,” Cuevas added.