Supreme Court allows Corona to participate in cases involving JPE, Marcos

MANILA, Philippines - The Supreme Court (SC) has allowed Chief Justice Renato Corona to continue participating in the resolution of a case where Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. stand as respondents.

In a resolution promulgated last March 13 but released only yesterday, the high tribunal junked the motion of Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) seeking Corona’s inhibition in the case involving the bid to submit additional evidence in a civil suit against heirs of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos and several others in pursuit of alleged ill-gotten wealth in several corporations, including Cable and Wireless Limited in Eastern Telecommunications Philippines Inc. (ETPI).

Citing his pending impeachment trial where Enrile and Marcos stand as judges, the PCGG wanted the Chief Justice to inhibit from the SC’s deliberations on their motion seeking reconsideration of the decision in December last year that dismissed the petition of PCGG assailing a ruling of the Sandiganbayan in February 2002.

But the SC “denied the petition (because) the Chief Justice had already weighed the merits of the case and voted on the main decision even before he was hastily impeached on Dec. 12, 2011.”

Under SC rules, calls for inhibition are directed to the personal decision of the concerned justices.

This ruling was included in the resolution of the high tribunal junking PCGG’s appeal on the ETPI case. (See separate story in Business Section: SC junks appeal on government bid for more evidence in civil suit vs. Marcos in ETPI)

The colleagues of the Chief Justice had earlier issued orders involving the impeachment trial in his favor.

Last February, the high court enjoined the impeachment court from opening the dollar bank accounts of Corona upon petition of Philippine Savings Bank.

In a separate ruling, it also prevented disclosure of privileged information, including rollos, in cases cited in the impeachment complaint.