Supreme Court bars Senate from disclosing Corona bank accounts

Thursday, February 9, 2012

THE Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, should desist from opening the dollar accounts of Chief Justice Renato Corona at Philippine Savings Bank (PSBank), his colleagues said on Thursday.

Justices, however, have deferred their decision whether to issue a temporary restraining order on Corona’s request to stop the impeachment proceedings for failing to meet the constitutional requirement of verification, among others.

Voting 8-5, Supreme Court spokesperson Midas Marquez said the justices took into consideration PSBank's citation of the provisions of Republic Act 6426 or the Foreign Currency Deposit Act of the Philippines, which bars the banks to divulge contents of the accounts without the written permission of the depositor.

In this case, the House prosecution panel said that Corona deposited $700,000 or around P34 million in PSBank branch in Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City. This amount was allegedly not declared in the Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) of the Chief Justice.

Those who voted for the issuance of the temporary restraining order (TRO) are Associate Justices Arturo Brion, Roberto Abad, Teresita Leonardo De Castro, Jose Perez, Lucas Bersamin, Martin Villarama, Jose Mendoza, and Bienvenido Reyes, an appointee of President Benigno Aquino III.

Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, who presided over the special en banc session after Corona took no part, led the list of dissenters.

He was supported by Justices Diosdado Peralta, Maria Lourdes Sereno, Estela Perlas-Bernabe, and Mariano del Castillo, who is also facing a separate impeachment complaint for plagiarizing a decision involving comfort women asking for apology from the Japanese government.

Justice Presbitero Velasco Jr., also inhibited from the deliberations since his son, Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco, voted for Corona’s ouster at the House of Representatives last December 12. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)