MALACAÑANG yesterday brushed aside reports on an alleged pressure by the Palace for former Supreme Court Associate Justice Serafin Cuevas to quit as defense lawyer of impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona.

Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said the claim is a classic ploy to distract.

“Former Justice Cuevas’ fantastic claims as carried in the media and his subsequent denial, are classic attempts to distract from the substance of the issues: which are, how was Chief Justice Corona able to acquire his assets, given what he has reported on his income? After all, [Bureau of Immigration] Commissioner Kim Henares’ testimony last week has not, to date been rebutted by the defense,” Lacierda said in a statement.

Lacierda said he hopes Cuevas “will give as much emphasis to his retraction as he did to his initial claim. The country cannot afford distractions of this sort from the impeachment trial proceedings.

Earlier, Cuevas belied reports that he was being pressured by a Palace emissary to resign as defense lawyer of Corona.

Cuevas denied that a Palace lawyer approached him and urged him to resign.

The former SC justice said he told the reporter that several examiners from the Bureau of Internal Revenue went to his office after learning that he was representing then Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez in her impeachment trial.

Gutierrez resigned even before the trial could start.