Corona, wife paid for P6.2M property

MANILA, Philippines — A witness on Monday presented documents showing that Chief Justice Renato Corona and his wife, Cristina, paid for a multi-million peso property in Taguig City named under their daughter.

Testifying before the Senate sitting as an impeachment court, Giovanni Ng, finance director of Megaworld Corp. produced a deed of sale for a 203-square meter lot in McKinley Hill in Taguig City in the name Coronas’ daughter, Maria Charina Corona.

The property was bought by Charina from Megaworld Corporation last September 2008 for P6,196,575.

But based on the buyer’s information sheet, request for reservation and offer to purchase, and 27 official receipts presented to the Senate, the documents showed that the buyers were Mr. and Mrs. Corona and not their daughter.

Twenty-four official receipts from Megaworld showed that the couple paid an amount of P57,834.70 each year from September 2006 until August 2008 and another receipt showed that they paid an amount of P4,858,114.80 in August 29, 2008.

During his direct examination of witness, private prosecutor Joseph Perez read a letter dated September 8, 2008 wherein Corona and his wife supposedly stated that “it was their daughter who made all their payments for the said lot.”

But when Perez enumerated the official receipts that the witness brought to the Senate, Ng confirmed that the payments were made by the Chief Justice and his wife.

“May I manifest that this particular property was not disclose in any of the SALNs (statement of asset, liabilities and net worth of respondent Corona,” said Perez.

When it was the defense lead counsel’s turn to question the witness, former Supreme Court Justice Serafin Cuevas pointed out that under the acknowledgment receipt, the Chief Justice was described as attorney-in-fact of his daughter.

“Did you come to know why was he (Corona) atty-in-fact? Is it because Charina Corona was abroad for several years prior to this transaction,” said Cuevas.

“I’m not familiar with the matter. But we refer to the special power of attorney (SPA),” said Ng.

In the SPA, it stated that Charina appointed his parents as her “true and lawful” attorneys.

But Ng noted that the SPA only after the last payment dates of the property.

The witness also produced three official receipts pertaining to a 303.5-sqm. Bellagio condominium unit in Taguig City amounting to P14.51 million.

The first receipt was dated April 20, 2009 in the amount of P5 million paid, the second receipt was dated October 16, 2009 in amount of P4,510,235 and the third receipt dated October 17, 2009 in the amount of P5 million.

All payments were made by Chief Justice Corona and his wife.

But Perez said they were informed by the witness that the Chief Justice received a 40 percent discount from the Bellagio transaction.

“To be candid, we were informed by the witness that the Chief Justice received a 40-percent discount from Megaworld Corp. equivalent to P10 million,” said the private prosecutor.