Interaksyon.com reports that in a press conference held at the Club Filipino in San Juan City on Sunday evening (February 12), the defense team of Chief Justice Renato Corona accused Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa of allegedly "offering bribes to senator-judges to convict the magistrate and to defy the temporary restraining order issued by the Supreme Court against the disclosure of his dollar accounts." They said Ochoa had offered P100 million to the senator-judges.

The report noted: "Lawyer Dennis Manalo claimed Ochoa tried to talk to senators perceived to be leaning towards Corona. The money, said lawyer Ramon Esguerra, will supposedly come from the presidential fund for soft projects and is set to be released sometime next week." The report further noted: "The two lawyers refused to identify their source but said the information is reliable."

Meanwhile, in an ABS-CBNNews.com report, Ochoa dismissed the allegation in a statement released to the media. In it he said, "It is a desperate gimmick that does not belong in the proceedings of any court of law, especially an impeachment trial."

For more on this story, log on to Interaksyon.com and ABS-CBNNews.com.