However, for Renato Corona – chief justice of the country’s Supreme Court – an unconfirmed heart attack was not a suitable reason to dodge facing an impeachment trial, as he was ordered to leave his hospital bed and return to court.
The heart attack reportedly struck after Mr Corona’s three-hour testimony, during which he made a PowerPoint presentation and then broke down in tears before storming out of the chamber.
According to the BBC, senators – who turned their chamber into a law court to investigate Mr Corona’s actions – voted 20-3 against him, dismissing him from office for failing to declare more than $2m in foreign bank accounts.