The prosecution said on Thursday that it plans to depose a few witnesses in order to expedite the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona.

In a deposition, the witness' testimony is put on document and presented as evidence in court. "This removes the need for the witness to appear in court," Representative Miro Quimbo, the prosecution's spokesman, explained.

Quimbo said that, so far, one witness, the notary officer Maria Rica Matute-Dineros, has been deposed.

Matute-Dineros notarized a special power of attorney authorization needed by Representative Gloria Macapagal Arroyo during the process of applying for a Supreme Court Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) against a travel watchlist order by the Department of Justice last year.

The watchlist order was intended to prevent Arroyo from traveling abroad and possibly evading a prospective warrant of arrest for engaging in alleged electoral sabotage in connection with the 2007 elections.

Article 7 of the impeachment complaint charges that Chief Justice Renato Corona "betrayed public trust when it granted a TRO for Representative Gloria Arroyo and husband Atty Mike arroyo in order to give them an opportunity to escape prosecution and to frustrate the ends of justice."

Quimbo observed that the trial seems to have been focusing too much on the alleged fake Philippine Savings Bank documents attached to the subpoena for Corona's deposit accounts. "For the prosecution, this has caused the court to lose track of the impeachment proceedings," he said. Hence, the need to expedite the trial proceedings and make up for lost time.

ACL / Reportage from Kimberly Go, Gellie Bilgera, and Stephanie Ongkiko