Prosecution: Corona ‘tried to hide assets’

MANILA, Philippines—The prosecution team on Monday claimed that they had presented the “full picture” of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona’s properties showing “a pattern of deceit and lies.”

Marikina Representative Romero Quimbo III said that based on the testimonies of witnesses presented on Monday, Corona was “trying to hide the assets” because his property in the Bonifacio Ridge had been fully paid in April 2004 but was declared in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Networth (SALN) only five years later.

He said that Corona’s wife, Cristina, paid the property with two checks worth P2.4 million and P6.9 million in March 2004 and April 2004, respectively, but that it was only declared in Corona’s SALN as P2.3 million, Quimbo said.

The Bellagio, which was acquired in 2009 with two check payments worth P5 million and one check payment worth P4.5 million, was not declared in his 2009 SALN.

Lead prosecutor Iloilo Representative Neil Tupas also cited the McKinley Hill property that was under the name of Corona’s daughter, Charina, but was paid with 27 checks in the name of Renato Corona and his wife, Cristina.

He added that Corona requested to put the property title in the name of Charina only after the property was fully paid.

Quimbo said that the full picture could be seen with the presentation of the SALNs, income tax documents, and records from the property developers.

Tupas said that with the evidence presented so far in Article 2 of the Impeachment complaint, “we are confident of a conviction.”