THE 11-man House prosecution panel yesterday accused impeached Supreme Court (SC) Chief Justice Renato Corona of demonstrating a disturbing pattern of lies and deception in his Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN), which have been made public for the first time since he joined the SC in 2002.

The House panel spokespersons said the inconsistencies allegedly found in Corona’s SALN showed that he lied under oath not only when he concealed ownership of several high-priced properties, but also when he failed to disclose in his SALNs that his wife Cristina was a board member of the state-owned John Hay Management Corp. (JHMC) from 2002 to 2006.

“This bolsters our allegation that he is not fit to be the country’s top magistrate. He lacks all the qualifications of a member of the Supreme Court -- a person of proven competence, integrity, probity and independence,” said Aurora Rep.  Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, a spokesman for the prosecution panel.

Based on his SALN, Corona did not declare that his wife Cristina was appointed to the JHMC the same year he was named to the Supreme Court by then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2002.

However, it was only in his 2007 SALN that he indicated Mrs. Corona was also a government official. The wife of the chief justice was chairperson and president of JHMC from 2006 to 2010.

Angara said Corona’s non-disclosure in his SALN constitutes falsification and dishonesty under the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and Republic Act (RA) 6713, or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.

Section 8 of RA 6713 provides that “it shall be the duty of every public official or employee to identify and disclose, to the best of his knowledge and information, his relatives in the government in the form, manner and frequency prescribed by the Civil Service Commission.

“The country does not deserve Mr. Corona to be the head or even a member of the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land. How can you respect someone who is supposed to uphold the law and the Constitution, but first to violate them?” raised Deputy Speaker Erin Tañada, also a spokesman.