Defense asks Senate to void subpoena on bank records

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

MANILA -- Lawyers of Chief Justice Renato Corona has asked the impeachment court to void subpoenas it issued for records of his accounts at two commercial banks, saying they are irrelevant and immaterial.

This was brought about by a subpoena issued on February 13 for "any and all financial instruments offered by the BPI (Bank of the Philippine Islands) Ayala Avenue branch and PS (Philippine Savings) Bank Katipunan branch" that were under Corona's name.

The defense viewed this as an "arbitrary expansion and blatant circumvention of this Honorable Court's own resolution and the strict parameters enunciated therein."

The Senate had originally asked for records of specific bank accounts when it issued its February 6 decision to subpoena the bank records. It said then that it would prohibit "a general inquisitorial examination of all books, papers, and documents...with a view to ascertain whether something of value may show up." The defense had objected three times to the prosecution's request, calling the subpoenas part of a "fishing expedition."

Clearly, the defense said, compelling "the production of any and all documents or accounts in the name of Renato Corona in PSBank and BPI...constitute a grand inquisitorial examination."

They also said the subpoena would bring in evidence related to Article 2.4 of the impeachment complaint against Corona. The Senate had already ruled that Article 2.4 "does not contain statements of ultimate fact and must be deemed excluded from the impeachment trial," the defense lawyers said.(Jonathan de Santos/Sunnex)