Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona (2nd R) with his family waves to his supporters during an interfaith prayer inside a Supreme Court in Manila May 22, 2012. Corona will testify in his Senate impeachment trial on Tuesday after he was accused of failing to disclose several bank accounts containing millions of pesos, and real estate properties in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net worth (SALN). Also seen are (L-R) Corona’s son Francis, Cristina (his wife), Renato and his daughter Carla. REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco (PHILIPPINES – Tags: RELIGION BUSINESS CRIME LAW)
MANILA (Mabuhay) – The Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) deferred again on Wednesday the arraignment of former Chief Justice Renato C. Corona and his wife Cristina on the tax evasion case filed against them.
The CTA 2nd Division granted the motion to suspend arraignment and reset it to Aug. 27, 2014.
It said that the arraignment was suspended due to pending petitions, which include the motion to review the case with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the motion to quash the case for lack of probable cause filed by Corona’s camp.
The CTA added that the camp of Corona is also set to submit within three days a supplemental motion in its earlier plea to quash the tax evasion case for lack of probable cause.
It also gave the prosecution a period of 15 days from Wednesday to comment on the supplemental motion, and another 10 days for the defense to reply.
The CTA deferred the arraignment of Corona for his tax evasion case pending the resolution of his petition for review filed before the DOJ.
CTA 2nd Division Associate Justice Juanito Castañeda earlier reset the arraignment to June 4, 2012 as the CTA granted the motion to suspend arraignment filed by Corona’s camp.
The former chief justice has a pending motion for judicial determination of probable cause and motion for consolidation of the five other tax evasion cases before the CTA’s 1st and 3rd Divisions.
The former chief justice is facing the P120-million tax liabilities for his alleged failure to declare true and correct information in his income tax returns for the years 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2010. (MNS)