MANILA, Philippines - Former Supreme Court Associate Justice Serafin Cuevas on Monday denied a Philippine Daily Inquirer report that he was being pressured by a Palace emissary to resign as defense lawyer of impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona.

A radio dzMM report said Cuevas denied that a Palace lawyer approached him and urged him to resign. The former SC justice admitted talking to a PDI reported last Saturday but said he made no mention about quitting Corona's defense team.

He said he told the reporter that several examiners from the Bureau of Internal Revenue went to his office after learning that he was representing then Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez in her impeachment trial. Gutierrez resigned even before the trial could start.

A Philippine Daily Inquirer report earlier quoted Cuevas as saying that a Palace emissary urged him to quit as Corona's lawyer. In exchange, the Palace emissary allegedly said criminal charges against former National Bureau of Investigation director Magtanggol Gatdula would be dropped.

Cuevas is the lawyer of the influential Iglesia ni Cristo religious sect, of which Gatdula is a member. Gatdula is facing charges for allegedly benefiting from the kidnap-extortion of Japanese businesswoman.

Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda, meanwhile, said the report is meant to distract from the complaint against Corona.

"Former Justice Cuevas’ fantastic claims as carried in the media and his subsequent denial, are classic attempts to distract from the substance of the issues: which are, how was Chief Justice Corona able to acquire his assets, given what he has reported on his income? After all, [Bureau of Immigration] Commissioner Kim Henares’ testimony last week has not, to date been rebutted by the defense," Lacierda said in a statement.

Lacierda said he hopes Cuevas "will give as much emphasis to his retraction as he did to his initial claim. The country cannot afford distractions of this sort from the impeachment trial proceedings."