Corona has no right to privacy of bank deposits

MANILA, Philippines—Chief Justice Renato Corona has no constitutional or statutory right to privacy and confidentiality of his bank deposits, government lawyers told the Supreme Court on Tuesday.

In a 52-page comment submitted by the Office of the Solicitor-General on behalf of the Senate of the Philippines sitting as impeachment court and the House panel of prosecutors, they also told the high court that it has no jurisdiction to act on the petition filed by Corona.

Corona through his lawyers, in his petition, asked the high court to stop the impeachment proceedings and nullify the Articles of Impeachment.

The petition noted that the impeachment court should not have proceeded with the trial, saying the complaint is “riddled with constitutional defects too numerous to withstand even cursory legal scrutiny.”

But government lawyers, through newly-appointed Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza said, “Corona has no constitutional or statutory right to privacy and confidentiality of his bank deposits because of the impeachment proceedings against him.”

“On the contrary, he is constitutionally obligated to publicly disclose them as the highest magistrate in the land. The subpoena issued by the impeachment court simply seeks to enforce the constitutional command of public accountability and disclosure. Thus, these must be upheld,” government lawyers said.

They also told the high court that while the Foreign Currency Deposit Act strictly prohibits examination of foreign deposits unless there is an express permission of the account holder, it does not prevail over the obligation of Corona to fully declare his assets, liabilities and net worth.

The high court granted the petition filed by the Philippine Savings Bank (PS Bank) to stop disclosing the dollar accounts of the Chief Justice before the impeachment court for fear that they might be sanctioned by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas for violating the FCDA.