Prosecution tells summoned bank officials to come or face penalty

MANILA, Philippines—The prosecution team on Wednesday warned bank officials being summoned by the impeachment court that they could be penalized if they refuse to come on Wednesday.

“The subpoena has been issued for the bank officials directing them to come tomorrow at 2 p.m. If they refuse to come, there are sanctions that can be issued by the Impeachment court on them,” Aurora representative Juan Edgardo Angara, spokesperson for the prosecution said in an ambush interview.

When asked if the bank officials could go to the Supreme Court if they refuse to come to the Senate, Angara said that it was “in their right” but it was clearly stated in the Constitution that the power to decide and hear cases of impeachment rests in the Senate.

The impeachment court on Monday granted the request for the issuance of subpoena for the bank officials and bank account records allegedly owned by Corona.

The court cited Republic Act 1405, the Bank secrecy law, and Republic Act 6426, the foreign currency deposits act.

Marikina representative Romero Quimbo said in an earlier press briefing that “the secrecy of bank deposits law provides for a clear exception, which is impeachment, and for foreign currency-denominated deposits, [the impeachment court] 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 said that the subpoenas were not illegal and clearly allowed in the law.