Prosecution working for Chief Justice Corona acquittal

From ellentordesillas.com

Chief Justice Corona's best defense in his impeachment trial at the Senate is not his tried and tested attorneys or the lack of evidence that they so claim, but the vastly mismatched lawyers at the Prosecution side whose bravado in front of press camera is inversely proportional to their abilities to prepare and argue their cause before the impeachment court.

Someone said that congress sent boys to the senate to do a man's job.  And I would have to agree.  The first few weeks gave us a showcase of how NOT to prosecute an impeachment case: File a vague complaint, come to court unprepared, be surprised by your own witness, impeach him when he's not singing the right tune, take a line of questioning that invites objections, present evidence on the wrong articles, appear confused when asked for clarifications, and deny the statements that you and your team made to the media.

Pathetic.

Unlike in a criminal court where the objective is to prove guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt, impeachment only requires that enough doubt be established on the capacity and qualification  of the accused to hold such a sensitive position.  And it's not like the prosecution has no evidence to do just that.

They presented expensive properties that are beyond the means of a Chief Justice's salary, they have shown that there are questionable entries and non-entries in his SALN, and they have opened that the accused  has knowingly involved himself in situations where prudence, as required by the stature of his post, should have been exercised, if only to steer clear of the possible controversies and conflicts of interest that may arise in the future.

Most of these they were able to do because they either stumbled on it, or barely allowed by the court, or mercifully saved by senator judges not bothering to hide their biases and party colors.   But none of it created the desired shockwaves because no one takes the prosecutors seriously.

Marami ka pang kakainin, bata! Image from ph.yahoo.com

In public, the defense lawyers say that the prosecution is doing a good job, it's just that they don't have the evidence to prove their case.  Which is a good strategy, I must say.  It's like telling your opponent to go ahead, continue shooting yourself on the foot, so we no longer have to.

The impeachment trial has a long way to go, and the tide may still turn.  But as long as Congressman Neil Tupas continues to squeak his way out of predicaments that he himself made, and Congressman Barzaga takes part in the proceedings armed with his unimpressive elocution and cartoon-like presence, and the entire prosecution team airs its grievances and evidences in the media, then get bamboozled by Justin Serafin Cuevas and lectured on by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile in the impeachment court - acquittal is almost certain.

From asiancorrespondent.com

I can see it coming.  Chief Justice Corona speaking before supreme court employees, in his now famous hoarse but high pitched drawl, announcing to the whole world that he is, as he claimed all along, clean and true to his oath as defender of truth and justice.  This, while President Noynoy Aquino and the rest of his allies try to play cool under such an embarrassing setback to proclaim that they would abide by the impeachment court's decision, but would not stop at pursuing its mandate of curbing graft and corruption.

Good luck!

I just hope Justice Corona does not forget to thank his best assembled defense team -- the prosecution.


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