The Corona Impeachment Trial: Erap salutes P-Noy on Corona impeach

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Saying “no one is above the law,” former President Joseph Estrada expressed his support for President Aquino’s taking a direct hand in the impeachment of Supreme Court (SC) Chief Justice Renato Corona.

Estrada lauded President Aquino for the latter’s resolve to make the Chief Justice accountable to the people for his “impeachable” acts in office.  

“I salute P-Noy for his courage,” Estrada told The STAR.

Estrada, who underwent an impeachment trial which was cut short by EDSA Dos in January 2000, noted with approval the actions so far taken by President Aquino that led to the impeachment of Corona.

Estrada strongly took exception to comments that the impeachment is an “attack” on the SC as institution.

Estrada underscored that just like its co-equal branches the government the Congress and the Executive, the judiciary is not immune to attack.

“The Senate is being attacked. The House is being attacked. The Palace is being attacked. Why can’t the Supreme Court be attacked? No one is above the law,” Estrada pointed out. 

Estrada said P-Noy has not made secret his displeasure at and disappointment over how the magistrates of the SC led by Corona have seemed to be beyond the reach of people seeking justice in connection with alleged corruption and abuses committed by members of the highest court of the land.

“That (Corona impeachment) will send the message to all people that the Aquino administration means business against corruption,” Estrada stressed.

“They (corrupt) will now think 10 times before they commit wrongdoing. Graft and corruption have become a way of life already of the people. But it doesn’t mean everybody is corrupt,” he said, adding: “Sabi nga ni P-Noy kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap (As P-Noy said, if there are no corrupt there will be no poor).”

Saying he has no axe to grind against Corona, Estrada believed the Chief Justice is in a better position to defend himself in his on-going impeachment trial with Senate President Juan Ponce-Enrile as presiding officer.

Estrada recalled with bitterness that he did not get a fair deal in his own impeachment trial that was co-presided over by former Senate president Aquilino Pimentel Jr. and ex-SC chief justice Hilario Davide Jr. 

He reiterated his suspicions that Davide was a party to the “conspiracy” to oust him from the presidency.

Estrada blamed Davide for the latter’s failure to appropriately dispense justice when the private prosecutors walked out of his impeachment trial after defense lawyers succeeded in preventing the opening of the second envelope of evidence against the former President.

“I was ready to defend myself. I had the numbers. That’s why they (prosecutors) walked out,” he said.

The second envelope, which according to Pimentel contained nothing more than the name Jaime Dichaves and a zero balance bank account, was strongly opposed by Estrada’s chief legal counsel Estelito Mendoza because the alleged “Jose Velarde” account was not included in the impeachment articles against the former President. Estrada said he really wanted his lawyers to allow the opening of the second envelope because he didn’t want the people to think that they were covering up something.

For his alleged part in this “ouster plot conspiracy,” Estrada brought Davide before Congress in June 2003 also for impeachment. The Palace-controlled Congress, however, was quashed the first impeachment attempt against Davide.

A second impeachment complaint was filed against Davide in October 2003 over alleged mis-use of the P4-billion Judiciary Development Fund (JDF).

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC:
This post is not intended to violate copyright infringement law, this post originated from http://www.philstar.com