IN yet another act of desperation to acquit impeached Supreme Court (SC) Chief Justice Renato Corona, defense lawyers are now laying down the basis for a mistrial by discrediting the entire impeachment proceeding and portraying senator-judges as partial and biased.

Aurora Rep. Sonny Angara, spokesperson of the House prosecution panel, said allegations by the legal counsels of Corona about the P100-million bribe offer per senator-juror to ensure the latter’s  conviction was nothing but a “diversionary tactic” to confuse the public after his P32 million in secret bank deposits were revealed before the impeachment court.

“They are laying the basis for a mistrial. They are conditioning the mind of the public,” said Angara, in view of the crucial discussion of members of the Senate impeachment tribunal this morning to tackle the temporary restraining order issued by the SC against disclosure of Corona’s dollar deposits, which could further inflate his unreported cash and investments.

But Zambales Rep.  Mitos Magsaysay, a stalwart of the opposition bloc, said the impeachment court should mull the enforcement of a gag order on both the panels of prosecution and defense against holding press conferences while the impeachment trial is in session, adding Malacañang should stop meddling in the impeachment process.