Prosecution defends Senate decision to allow Corona bank records in trial

MANILA, Philippines — The prosecution defended the decision by the Senate, acting as an impeachment court, to allow the presentation of bank records of Chief Justice Renato Corona who is on trial for graft and corrruption, constitutional violations, and betrayal of public trust.

The senators made the ruling after they discussed what to do with Corona’s bank documents in an envelope which they received from an anonymous source.

The prosecution said “the Senate made a decision at the fact that there was a need for transparency [and] a need for accountability.”

Quimbo said that “the secrecy of bank deposits law provide for a clear exception, which is impeachment, and for foreign currency-denominated deposits, they used the ruling in Salvacion which specifically said that the secrecy of foreign currency deposits cannot be used as a shield to protect a crime.”

He further said that the Senate was not going “out of bounds” or against the law. He said they were following provisions “clearly provided for in the law”.

Quimbo cited Republic Act 1405, the Bank Secrecy law, and Republic Act 6426, the Foreign Currency Deposit Act, which he said have exceptions.

Quimbo said that “this particular provision [of the law] is being used only for the second time because this is only the second time that we have had an impeachment in the history of this country.”

Quezon Rep. Lorenzo Tanada III said that private individuals “should not fear any inquiry on their bank deposits” because they were only going after the chief justice who is a public individual.

Quimbo allayed fears that there would be panic from individual depositors because the bank secrecy law was “one of the most respected laws” and this case was very specifically included in the  law.

Quimbo said that “we are thankful for the Senate for their decision which we think stands for the truth.”