MANILA (AFP) - Philippine President Benigno Aquino's parliamentary allies moved on Monday to impeach the country's top judge, who in turn accused his opponents of seeking to destroy the Supreme Court's integrity.
The unprecedented push to impeach Chief Justice Renato Corona came after the Supreme Court made a series of decisions that hindered government efforts to prosecute ex-president Gloria Arroyo for alleged corruption.
House of Representatives Speaker Feliciano Belmonte said 175 members of the 285-member Congress had signed the impeachment complaint, well above the one-third needed to begin the process.
Mr Belmonte said Chief Justice Corona was being impeached for 'betrayal of public trust', 'violation of the constitution' and 'undue closeness to Mrs Arroyo'
