Corona’s wife used 14-year-old certification to sell family property

MANILA, Philippines—A 14-year-old certification by a family-owned corporation was used by the wife of Chief Justice Renato Corona to prove that she was authorized to negotiate the sale of P34 million property in Manila.

The prosecution team through Renato Samonte pointed this out in his cross-examination of former Manila Mayor Lito Atienza, who testified for the defense team on Thursday.

In his testimony, Atienza said he recognized Corona’s wife, Cristina, as the authorized representative of the Basa-Guidote Enterprise Inc.(BGEI) after the latter showed a copy of certification of a board resolution, authorizing her to negotiate the sale of the property.

But Samonte noted that date of the certification was June 19, 1987 or a “margin of 14 years” at the time the Manila City government through Atienza negotiated with the and the BGEI through Mrs. Corona in 2001.

“Did it occur to you to you that you should have asked Mrs. Corona for a more recent source of authority?” asked Samonte.

“It didn’t enter in my mind anymore because a certification is a certification,” Atienza answered.

On March 26, 2001,  a deed of absolute sale was signed between the two parties. Atienza said the cheque payment was made directly to Mrs. Corona.

Atienza, responding to a query of Senate president and presiding officer Juan Ponce-Enrile, said the seller in the deed of absolute sale was the BGEI. The cheque payment was made to Mrs. Corona” in trust” for the BGEI.

Enrile then asked why the payment was made to Mrs. Corona if the property was owned by the corporation.

Atienza said it was for “security” to ensure that somebody must be held responsible, since he said he did know the corporation.

Atienza was presented by the witness to prove that Mrs. Corona was authorized by the family-owned company to sell the property.

The defense lawyers said they would present another witness to prove that the money from the sale of the property was the source of the P11 million loan used by the Chief Justice to buy a property in La Vista Quezon City.

The P11 million loan was declared by the Chief Justice in his statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth.