Corona closes 3 accounts on day he was impeached By TJ Burgonio

Chief Justice Renato Corona closed three time deposit accounts with the Philippine Savings Bank (PSBank) on the same day House lawmakers filed an impeachment complaint against him in the Senate in December in a bid “to conceal certain amounts” in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN), the prosecution has alleged.

This surfaced on Day 19 of Corona’s impeachment trial as PSBank president Pascual Garcia testified on the Chief Justice’s peso accounts in its branch on Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City.

Garcia told the impeachment court that Corona had other accounts in the same branch after branch manager Annabelle Tiongson testified that Corona opened and closed five similar accounts with opening balances totaling P30 million, from 2007 to 2011.

“There’s evidence your honor that shows that three accounts were closed on the same date of Dec. 12, 2011. And this will show that this was in preparation because of the impeachment complaint that was filed,” private prosecutor Demetrio Custodio said in reply to Senator Loren Legarda, who asked the questions for Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III.

At the trial Thursday, private prosecutor Demetrio Custodio claimed that the Chief Justice closed at least three PSBank peso accounts, totaling P32.6 million, on December 12 last year.

These were Account No. 089-121023848, which was opened on June 29, 2011, with P17 million; Account No. 089-121019523, opened on Dec. 22, 2009, with P8.5 million; and Account No. 089-121021681, opened Sept. 1, 2010, with P7,090,099.45.

Only two of the said accounts were covered by the Senate subpoena.

When asked about the relevance of the closure of the accounts with Corona’s December 2010 SALN, Custodio said this has “no direct relevance.”

“We are only intending to show that there was an attempt to conceal certain amounts. If there will be a consideration of three amounts of the three accounts, they total about P36.2 million,” Custodio said.

Under questioning, Garcia said that Corona closed three bank accounts on Dec. 12, 2011, on the same day 188 lawmakers transmitted the impeachment complaint to the Senate for trial for culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust and corruption. He did not give details.

Garcia volunteered that Corona opened a peso time deposit account on June 29, 2011, with a balance of P17 million and closed it on Dec. 12, 2011.

Senator Sergio Osmeña III wondered if the day of the account’s termination was the same day the impeachment complaint was filed.

The House lead prosecutor, Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas Jr., confirmed this: “The House impeached the Chief Justice on December 12.”

In reply to Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada, Garcia admitted that Corona had two other peso time deposit accounts—one opened on Dec. 22, 2009, and another on Sept. 1, 2010, which were also closed on Dec. 12, 2011.

Garcia said he could not say if the accounts were preterminated.

“Because when we open an account let’s say it’s for 60 days, you have the account opening date and the maturity date. So when an account is terminated before the maturity date, then we normally would classify it as a preterminated account because it did not run its full term,” he said.

“It’s quite suspicious,” Estrada said. “These three accounts … they were all closed on the day that the Chief Justice was impeached. And according to Congressman Tupas, the Chief Justice was impeached on Dec. 12, 2011. And all of these three accounts were closed. I don’t want to entertain suspicions, or malice, but I really have suspicions.”

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‘Fake’ evidence confirms Corona bank accounts

While Chief Justice Renato Corona’s accusers cannot guarantee the authenticity of the documents concerning his local and foreign currency deposits, the testimonies of bank officials prove that the information in the documents is accurate.

Marikina Representative Romero Quimbo, the prosecution spokesman, stressed this on Tuesday in the course of saying that the prosecutors had no intention of misleading the Senate impeachment court when they attached the bank documents to their request for a subpoena.

Quimbo said the prosecution had actually advised the impeachment court that it could not “vouch for the authenticity” of the bank documents that, according to the Monday testimony of Annabelle Tiongson, the manager of Philippine Savings Bank (PSBank) branch on Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City, were “fake” and did not come from her branch.

But Quimbo said the documents that were turned over to the prosecution by an anonymous source could “only come from the bank.”

“The best proof that it came from the bank is that the accounts precisely matched. The bank officials confirmed the existence of the accounts, that they were owned by the Chief Justice,” he said in a press briefing after yesterday’s trial.

Accounts exist

Quimbo said PSBank, particularly Tiongson, had “every incentive or motivation” to declare the documents fake because these could only have come from them.

He assailed the defense for saying that all evidence pertaining to Corona’s bank deposits that had been disclosed and admitted by PSBank should be cast aside for being the “fruit of a poisonous tree,” or inadmissible.

Quimbo pointed out that the existence of Corona’s bank accounts was confirmed by no less than PSBank president Pascual Garcia III and Tiongson herself.

He said both bank officers testified that Corona kept almost P20 million in two accounts alone with PSBank as of Dec. 31, 2010. The Chief Justice only declared cash worth P3.5 million in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) for the same year.

Corona’s lawyers had protested the prosecution’s marking of the documents from PSBank and Bank of the Philippine Island (BPI) as evidence, saying these were obtained illegally.

But Quimbo said the prosecution’s supplemental motion on a request for subpoena for the bank records stated with caution that it could not vouch for the authenticity of the documents, although these turned out to be true.

Quimbo said that from the start of the trial, the prosecutors had been transparent and forthright in the supplemental motion for subpoena they submitted to the impeachment court on February 3 in connection with Corona’s bank accounts.

But he agreed that whoever was responsible for the circulation of the copies of the Corona bank documents was in clear violation of the Bank Secrecy Law and should be prosecuted.

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SC creating ‘safe haven for criminal acts,’ says justice

MANILA, Philippines—The Supreme Court order stopping the opening of Chief Justice Renato Corona’s dollar accounts has created “a safe haven for criminal acts” and “cultivated an atmosphere of impunity,” according to Associate Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.

In a 30-page dissenting opinion to last week’s decision by the high tribunal to temporarily stop the opening of Corona’s foreign currency deposit, Sereno said the Constitution itself mandated public officials to disclose all of their assets and that failing to do so would constitute “prima facie evidence of unexplained wealth.”

The Supreme Court granted the petition of PSBank for a temporary restraining order stopping the Senate impeachment court from opening Corona’s dollar accounts. PSBank had explained that under the Foreign Currency Deposits Act (RA 6426), dollar accounts can be opened only with the permission of its owners.

The Senate impeachment court voted 13-10 to respect the TRO.

‘Valid exception’

“Granting the prayer of petitioners for injunctive relief is tantamount to endorsing their position on absolute confidentiality, so much so that higher values, such as public accountability, cannot even be considered as a valid exception to the said privilege,” said Sereno.

“This contention pushes the law to an absurdity, as the adherence of this absolutist stance invites unscrupulous public officers to convert their peso deposits to foreign currency accounts in order to hide from the law and evade criminal liability,” she said.

Sereno is an appointee of President Aquino and Corona has formally asked her to inhibit from the deliberations on his petition to stop his impeachment trial.

Sereno said the high court TRO resulted in RA 6426 being used “as a shield to conceal malfeasance and other unlawful conduct.

“This court’s resolution has therefore created a safe haven for criminal acts and cultivated an atmosphere of impunity. Certainly, this was never the intendment of the law,” said Sereno.

‘No basis’

“In the end, this court’s resolution results in an iniquitous situation, where the supreme interest of the public to maintain accountability among public officers is relegated to the sidelines in favor of a statutory privilege that arose purely out of economic considerations,” she added.

Sereno dismissed the grounds PSBank cited in asking for a TRO, adding that the high court had “no basis” for issuing the order.

“Considering that petitioners alleged entitlement to injunctive relief is based on mere news reports, exaggerated theories of a possible bank run, or stubborn fears of culpability, this court has no basis to enjoin the impeachment court from exercising its constitutional mandate to require the production of documents and rendering of testimony before it under the assailed subpoena,” she said.

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Corona blasts senator-judges

Saying he had “nothing to gain but everything to lose,” Chief Justice Renato Corona slammed senators allegedly attempting to turn his impeachment trial in the Senate into an “inquisition” alongside a Palace campaign to “demonize” him.

Corona came out swinging before fellow magistrates and faculty members at the opening of a new facility at Ateneo Law School in Makati City late Friday evening.

“As if the impeachment trial were not enough, some senator-judges have taken on the role of prosecutors and have converted what should be an adversarial proceeding into an inquisition,” he said without naming names in a speech titled “Excellence in Law: Destiny of the Ateneo Lawyer.”

“I can no longer count how many of my constitutional rights have been blatantly and grossly violated,” he said.

Corona’s defense lawyers earlier sought the inhibition of Sen. Franklin Drilon, a staunch ally and party-mate of President Aquino, for helping the prosecution on a number of occasions during the trial.

Drilon rejected the call while the Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, simply ignored the motion.

The President’s deputy spokesperson, Abigail Valte, dismissed Corona’s blast as an “act of desperation.” She said the impeachment trial was all about Corona’s “fitness to hold the highest post in the judiciary.”

Repeating a previous statement by Mr. Aquino, she called on Corona to open his dollar bank account to the public if he had nothing to hide.

Corona said central to the effort to oust him was the issue of the Hacienda Luisita, which is owned by the family of the President, who has said that Corona has been an obstacle in the Palace effort to prosecute former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for corruption.

The Supreme Court earlier unanimously ruled to turn over the vast estate to farmers. The Cojuangco family would receive P173 million in compensation based on a 1989 valuation, according to the court ruling. But the hacienda later filed a petition seeking some P10 billion on the property’s 2006 market value.

“This whole sordid affair has all been about politics from beginning to end. It is about Hacienda Luisita; the P10-billion compensation which the President’s family reportedly wants for the land that was simply lent to them by the government,” Corona declared.

The Chief Justice cited the “need to terrorize and instill a chilling effect on the justices of the Supreme Court to be able to bend their decisions in favor of the Malacañang tenant.”

He said the impeachment trial, which is openly supported by Malacañang, was also connected to the “need to nullify the constitutional election of the sitting Vice President” and “the need to appoint a new Chief Justice who will deliver anything and everything the President wants.”

Transportation Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II, a close friend and former running mate of Mr. Aquino, is still contesting the victory of Vice President Jejomar Binay in the 2010 elections.

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Grace Lee sees self marrying the President

That’s where Grace Lee says her relationship with President Benigno Aquino III is headed.

In her morning show, “Good Times in the Morning,” on Wednesday, the Korean-born radio and TV personality was asked by her New York-based coanchor, Mo Twister, how long their relationship would last.

She replied, “The full length.”

Needled further on where she expected their dates would lead to, Lee answered, “The altar.” She added, “I’m praying for this.”

Mr. Aquino celebrated his birthday on Wednesday, Feb. 8, the same day Lee said they were destined for the altar.

Malacañang was mum on Lee’s latest statements. “We do not comment on the President’s private life,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said on Saturday.

Skepticism 

The romance between the 29-year-old Lee and the 52-year-old Mr. Aquino has been met with skepticism by many who have become used to the President’s short-lived romances.

Among those linked to him in his almost two-year presidency were Valenzuela Councilor Shalani Soledad, who recently married Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo, stylist Liz Uy, stockbroker Len Lopez and teacher Bunny Calica.

During the program, Mo Twister predicted the relationship to last until August.

He then opened the phone lines to the question, “How long will this (Aquino-Lee) relationship last?” One listener replied, “May.”

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Defense: P100M offered per senator

On the eve of a crucial Senate vote, lawyers of Chief Justice Renato Corona on Sunday night revealed what they called efforts by Malacañang to pressure some senator-judges into defying a Supreme Court order restraining the impeachment court from looking into his dollar account.

In a hastily arranged press conference, nine members of the defense team condemned the Palace for allegedly undermining the impeachment process and the Constitution for purportedly trying to win senators over.

“Yesterday, we received very reliable information that Executive Secretary Paquito ‘Jojo’ Ochoa, acting in behalf of President Benigno Aquino III, was personally contacting and phoning senator-judges to persuade or pressure them to defy a temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by the Supreme Court  in favor of Philippine Savings Bank,” according to a statement read by lawyer Dennis Manalo.

“We condemn in the strongest terms the efforts of the President to undermine the constitutional process that he himself initiated.”

Jose Roy III, a member of the defense team, said the panel received information that the Palace was dangling “P100 million per senator” to be released this week in exchange for defying the TRO.

The amount would supposedly come from government “savings” allocated for “soft projects.”

While Corona submitted himself to the impeachment process “in good faith and with full belief that he will have a fair trial,” his lawyers said “it is now apparent that the President is bent on convicting [him] at all costs.”

Corona’s camp said he would confront the issue of his bank deposits once the defense gets its turn to formally present evidence later in the impeachment trial.

“If your problem is the bank account, don’t rush it. All of that will be opened by the Chief Justice because he did not steal that. Relax lang po, Mr. President. Don’t let the senators and the Chief Justice violate the law, like what you want your people to do,” part of the statement in Filipino said.

Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said in a text message: “The P100 million is a complete fabrication concocted by the desperate Corona defense lawyers. It’s an insult to the senators and to the Senate as an institution. It’s another lie in a web of lies being woven by the Corona camp to discredit the impeachment process.”

“Such baseless allegations are irresponsible and can only erode the credibility of the defense lawyers,” Abad added.

“Their energies and time are better spent preparing for [today’s] continuing hearings on the hidden and now exposed dollar and peso accounts of Corona in PSBank and BPI,” Abad said, referring to the Chief Justice’s alleged unreported deposits in the two banks.

Reacting to the defense’s allegation, Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson described the alleged P100-million offer as “pure rubbish and nothing more.”

“It is unfair and even contemptuous to preempt the senators who have yet to discuss the matter in a caucus tomorrow,” Lacson, an ally of the President, said in a text message.

During the press conference, Corona’s lawyers were pressed to reveal their sources, but they stood their ground and said it was up to the informant to decide whether to come out. Roy clarified that the tip did not come from any of the senators. He said some of them were in fact “complaining” about the alleged Palace effort.

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Corona has over P12M in deposits at BPI—bank exec

MANILA, Philippines – Chief Justice Renato Corona has over P12 million in deposits at the Bank of the Philippine Islands in Makati City in 2010, a bank official told the Senate, acting as an impeachment court on Thursday.

Leonora Dizon, branch manager of BPI in Makati City, said Corona has an outstanding balance of P12, 024, 067.70 as of Dec. 31, 2010 for checking account number 1445-8030-61.

Corona’s deposit in 2010 notably grew from the previous year’s outstanding balance of P678,501.83 for the same account.

For 2008, the same account had a balance of P1,525,872.87; P5,069,711.18 in 2007; P153,395.12 in 2006; and P 149,767.36 in 2005.

Dizon said the account was opened in 1989.

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