Corona’s peso accounts is ‘smoking gun’ to convince senator-judges

Saturday, February 11, 2012

THE 188 lawmakers who signed the impeachment complaint against Chief Justice Renato Corona believe the P31.7-million peso accounts of the respondent is enough to persuade senator-judges that the magistrate is not morally fit to remain in office.

Earlier, Philippine Savings Bank (PSBank) president Pascual Garcia III disclosed that Corona had two peso accounts with a combined balance of P19.73 million as of December 31, 2010.

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The branch manager of the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) also revealed that Corona owns a peso account with an ending balance of P12.02 million as of 2010, bringing the total amount of his undeclared bank deposits for that year to P31.74 million.

However, the Chief Justice only declared “cash and investments” worth P3.5 million in his 2010 SALN.

“If this recurring sin of omission does not comprise a pattern of duplicity that punctures the Chief Justice’s integrity—and makes him unfit to head the Supreme Court—we do not know what it is,” the Movement 188 said in a press statement adding that the peso accounts alone serve as the “smoking gun” to get a conviction from the Senate.

Earlier, prosecutors presented evidence and witnesses to prove that Corona’s properties were grossly undervalued in his 2002 to 2010 SALNs.

Movement 188 also dared the Chief Justice to “come clean” on the dollar accounts allegedly under his name by giving his permission to the PSBank president to publicly disclose information pertaining to the said accounts.

The Foreign Currency Deposit Act of the Philippines prohibits banking officials to disclose information on foreign currency deposits except upon the written permission of the depositor.

“In all probability, the Chief Justice has more money, this time in dollars, stashed in at least PSBank, following Garcia’s admission that these five dollar accounts existed at its Katipunan branch,” the group said referring to PSBank president Pascual Garcia III.

The Senate on Monday will hold a caucus to decide if they will obey or defy the temporary restraining order issued by the Supreme Court on the subpoena of Corona’s dollar accounts. (Kathrina Alvarez/Sunnex)