Impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona with wife Cristina. Photo by Marc Jayson Cayabyab/INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO
More than a year since the Sandiganbayan froze the assets of impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona, the court has only garnished some P10,000 cash in Corona and his wife’s bank accounts.
The anti-graft court’s Second Division released its third report on the preliminary writ of attachment to place on hold Corona’s estate, real and personal properties, as well as cash at bank with total worth of P130.59 million.
The writ has an effect of a freeze order to ensure that the respondents do not dispense of their properties as they face the charges.
READ: Sandiganbayan issues freeze order on Corona’s assets
In the report prepared by Sheriff IV Alexander Valencia, the court as of Jan. 5, 2016 garnished some P2,158.94 cash in Corona’s account at Land Bank of the Philippines, Taft Avenue branch.
In its second report dated April 28, 2015, the court was able to garnish some P615.06 in Corona and his wife Cristina’s account in Banco De Oro Loyola Heights-Berkeley Residences branch.
In the first sheriff’s report dated March 10, 2015, the court was able to garnish P1,056.27 in a Bank of the Philippine Islands account, as well as P6,524.71 in a Philippine National Bank account SSS Diliman Branch under the account name of Cristina Roco Corona.
READ: Sandigan finds P7,580 in Corona accounts amid P130-M forfeiture case
This puts the total attached amount to only P10,354.98, more than a year since the assets were ordered frozen.
READ: Sandiganbayan issues freeze order on Corona’s assets
According to the first sheriff’s report, four other accounts – in United Overseas Bank, Metropolitan Bank & Trust Company, China Banking Corp. and Citibank – revealed no deposits on record by the Corona couple.
Two other bank accounts – Philippine Savings Bank and Phil-Am Asset Management Inc. – showed that either there were no accounts by the Corona couple or that the respondents were not investors or shareholders of the funds.
The court has also temporarily frozen the following properties of the Corona couple which were allegedly undervalued or undeclared – condominium units from One Burgundy Plaza in Quezon City, The Columns in Makati, Bellagio I in Fort Bonifacio (including three parking slots), and Bonifacio Ridge, Fort Bonifacio, as well as a parcel of land in La Vista in Quezon City.
Corona was charged before the Sandiganbayan for eight counts of perjury and another eight counts of violations of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees for allegedly lying in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN).
The Sandiganbayan Third Division in 2015 found probable cause to try Corona for perjury and false declarations of wealth.
READ: Sandigan finds probable cause to put Corona on trial for perjury
The Ombudsman earlier indicted Corona for allegedly lying about his true net worth by not declaring properties and several bank accounts, as well as undervaluing a number of real-estate properties that he declared.
During its investigation, the Ombudsman said from 2001 to 2011, Corona and his spouse earned a total of P30.4 million, of which P27.1 million was earned by Corona as an official at the Office of the President, a Supreme Court justice, member of the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) and member of the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET).
On the other hand, his wife, Cristina, earned P3.2 million for 2007-2010, based on the Alpha List submitted to the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) by the John Hay Development Corp. (JHDC) where she was employed.
But from 2002 to 2010, Corona’s cash deposits ballooned from P1.34 million to P137.9 million, the resolution said.
By 2010, the cumulative discrepancy between his SALN declaration and his actual cash deposits had amounted to P134.4 million.
The resolution also cited records of the Land Registration Authority (LRA) on several properties owned by the Corona spouses in Quezon City, Makati City and Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City, which were found to be significantly undervalued by P17.3 million.
Because of these allegations, the Ombudsman slapped the Corona couple with a P130.59 million civil forfeiture case, as well as perjury charges for false declarations of his wealth.
READ: Corona, wife slapped with P130 M forfeiture case
Corona in 2012 was impeached by Congress for false declarations of wealth in his SALN. CDG
READ: Historic impeachment trial ends gov’t career of Renato Corona