Prosecution asks Senate impeachment court to open Corona’s 5 bank accounts

Rep. Niel Tupas Jr.

The prosecution on Wednesday asked the Senate impeachment court to issue subpoenas to officials of at least five bank accounts in a bid to support allegations Chief Justice Renato Corona amassed ill-gotten wealth.

Iloilo Representative Niel Tupas Jr. released to reporters a four-page request for subpoenas to the bank officials hours before the Senate ruled that it would not allow the presentation of evidence on paragraph 2.4 under Article 2 of the impeachment complaint.

This particular paragraph states that Corona was “suspected and accused of having accumulated ill-gotten wealth, acquiring assets of high values and keeping bank accounts with huge deposits.”

The defense maintains that the prosecution cannot go beyond what it had stated in its original complaint and go into a “fishing expedition” in the course of the impeachment trial and expand the allegation.

The prosecution asked the Senate court to direct the bank officials to bring with them today the original and certified true copies of the Account Opening Forms and Monthly Bank Statements in the names of Corona and his wife Cristina.

The banks are :

• Bank of the Philippine Islands Ayala Avenue Branch, Makati City,  under Bank Account No. 1443-8030-61 (with Account Opening Form and Monthly Bank Statements for Dec. 1, 2004;

• Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. Katipunan Avenue Branch, Quezon City (with Account Opening Form and Monthly Bank Statements for March 2, 2004);

• Philippine National Bank, main branch on Diosdado Macapagal Blvd. in Pasay City (with Account Opening Form ad Monthly Bank Statements for Dec. 1, 2002);

• Land Bank of the Philippines main branch in Malate, Manila (with Account Opening Form and Monthly Bank Statements for March 1, 2003); and

• Bank of the Philippine Islands Family Bank, Paseo de Roxas branch in Makati City (with Account Opening Form and Monthly Bank Statements for March 1, 2003).

In an earlier interview, Tupas said the opening of the Corona couple’s bank accounts was necessary in proving paragraph 2.4 in Article 2 of the impeachment complaint.