Philippines' top judge testifies at Senate trial

The Philippines' top judge was due to testify at his impeachment trial on Tuesday in a last-ditch bid to save his job, with President Benigno Aquino saying his ouster is key to an anti-corruption drive.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona is accused of protecting graft-tainted former president Gloria Arroyo from prosecution, and of allegedly amassing a personal fortune above the limits of his salary.

President Aquino, who won a landslide election victory in 2010 on a platform to end corruption, has said that if Corona is acquitted, it would virtually destroy his efforts to rid the poverty-plagued country of pervasive graft.

But as the Senate trial nears its climax, Corona lawyers say the 63-year-old is expected to refute allegations he failed to declare up to $12 million in bank accounts and blocked Aquino's efforts to prosecute Arroyo for corruption.

"I am not worried," Corona told reporters on Monday.

Corona was impeached by the House of Representatives, parliament's lower chamber, in December, sending him for trial in the Senate, which began hearings in January.

The proceedings have gripped the nation for four months, with millions watching the drama live on TV.

Prosecutors allege Corona lacked integrity, failed to declare his assets properly, and blocked Arroyo's prosecution. They said his actions amounted to "culpable violation" of the constitution and betrayal of public trust.

A guilty verdict on any of the three charges would lead to his removal from office. There is no appeal process and the government would then be able to pursue criminal charges against him over the alleged hidden wealth.

The chief justice's lawyers had said he did not need to take the stand, but changed their minds after Ombudsman Conchita Morales disclosed documents on Corona's alleged bank accounts that prosecutors described as the "smoking gun".

"I expect the chief justice to answer practically all issues being hurled against him, for as long as his rights under the constitution will not be violated," Corona's lawyer Tranquil Salvador said.

Prosecutors, led by members of the House of Representatives, expect to finish quizzing Corona by Thursday, after which the 23 senators sitting as judges will adjourn before delivering a verdict.

Senate president Juan Ponce Enrile has said he wants a decision no later than June 7.

Though by no means the only target, Aquino has said driving Corona from office would be a crucial step in ridding the Philippines of corruption.

Aquino's predecessor Arroyo, who ruled for nearly 10 years, was arrested last year and charged with vote-rigging.

Aquino's allies have said she planted Corona in the Supreme Court just before leaving office in 2010 as a rearguard action to protect herself from future criminal prosecutions.

For his part Corona sees his impeachment as a personal vendetta by Aquino following a landmark Supreme Court verdict that would break up Hacienda Luisita, a giant sugar estate owned by the president's clan.

Shortly before the Aquino-controlled House of Representatives voted to impeach Corona last year, the Supreme Court ruled 4,300 hectares (10,600 acres), or most of the estate, must be subjected to land reform.

The 15-member court last month threw out an appeal by the clan to overturn the ruling and stop the farm being parcelled out to its workers, leaving the Aquino government no option but to enforce the decision.

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