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Enrile scolds civil society leader on Corona ‘bank records’


Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile on Wednesday scolded a civil society leader who brought to his office supposed copies of Chief Justice Renato Corona’s bank records at the height of the chief magistrate’s impeachment trial.   Enrile asked Kaya Natin! Movement lead convenor Harvey Keh to "show cause" why he should not be cited for contempt for bringing these documents to his office earlier this month.   “You are trying to influence this court by bringing these documents. I felt insulted and offended as a presiding officer,” Enrile told Keh during the Wednesday’s hearing.   The defense camp presented Keh as a hostile witness in the Corona impeachment trial in connection to a complaint Keh filed against the chief justice before the Office of the Ombudsman.   Defense lawyer Dennis Manalo said the panel will try to prove Keh’s “involvement in a well-planned and orchestrated effort to destroy the reputation of Corona.”   'Anonymously' received   During his testimony, Keh told the impeachment court that he “anonymously” received supposed bank documents of Corona in his office last May 3. He said he delivered the documents to Enrile’s office because he felt the Senate was the proper government agency to examine these documents.   “I just felt that your office is in the best position to study this document and see if they can be used or not,” Keh told Enrile.   Enrile, however, questioned Keh’s motive to turn over the supposed bank documents to his office, and not to the Ombudsman, where the civil society leader earlier filed a complaint. The Senate President further asked Keh why he had to bring with him a television crew on the day that he delivered the documents.   “Why did you bring along members of the media? Because you wanted to publicize that you delivered these documents?” Enrile asked the witness.   Keh denied inviting reporters to cover his visit to Enrile’s office and that he himself was surprised to find reporters waiting for his arrival.   He then offered an apology to the impeachment court for bringing the documents, which he admitted were “unauthenticated,” to the Senate President’s office. —VS/HS, GMA News

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