Corona denies tax rap

MANILA, Philippines - Ousted chief justice Renato Corona appeared before the Department of Justice (DOJ) yesterday to submit a counter-affidavit denying the P120-million tax evasion charge filed against him by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

In a 27-page counter affidavit, Corona denied he violated the National Internal Revenue Code by not filing income tax returns for 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2010. 

The former Supreme Court chief, who was removed from office last May after his conviction by the Senate impeachment court for betrayal of public trust over failure to disclose millions of assets, dismissed the tax evasion charges against him as “baseless” and “politically motivated.” 

“This is just an offshoot of the impeachment trial that ended just a few months ago in a highly political decision of the Senate,” he told reporters.

Corona claimed his ouster was “a result of the decision of the Corona court on the Hacienda Luisita case and my personal crusade for the rule of law and justice and also for an independent judiciary.”

“This case against me and my family only sends one message to members of the judiciary – that they should follow the will of Malacañang if they don’t want to suffer the same fate of the chief justice,” he said.

Nearly five months after his ouster, Corona said he has no regret about standing up against President Aquino’s supposed bid to influence the high court in the case of the 4,915.75-hectare sugar land estate owned by the President’s family in Tarlac.

“I know I am in the right side because everywhere we go there are countless people who approach us and express support and prayers for us. I am thankful to all of them,” he stressed.

After submitting his counter-affidavit, Corona and his wife Cristina promptly left the DOJ premises.

His lawyer Anacleto Diaz refused to provide members of the media with copies of the document.

During hearing, Diaz requested for confidentiality of their pleadings from the DOJ panel chaired by Senior State Prosecutor Rosanne Balauag, saying Corona is now a private citizen whose reputation should be protected through privacy.