PHNO-HL: NOY URGES CJ TO BARE $10 M BANK ACCOUNT TO PUBLIC

NOY URGES CJ TO BARE $10 M BANK
ACCOUNT TO PUBLIC

MANILA, MAY 8,
2012 (PHILSTAR) By Delon Porcalla -
President Aquino yesterday challenged Chief Justice Renato Corona to testify
before the impeachment court and open his assets for public scrutiny.
The challenge was hurled on the eve of the resumption of Corona's impeachment
trial, and amid an investigation into his alleged bank deposits amounting to $10
million.
"There is no option that says, 'Will I explain this?' The minute he doesn't
explain it, the presumption of ill-gotten (wealth) remains. And that is not an
opinion. That is the law. And he is the chief magistrate. Maybe he should be the
first one to comply," Aquino said.
He said under the 1987 Constitution, it is mandatory for any government
official, more so for those at the top levels, to declare all assets,
liabilities and net worth every year, up to the last centavo.
Aquino said the words used are "shall disclose."
"So, I will say it again, this is not an option. So the question I think is,
'Will I disclose it publicly?" The minute I submit it, that becomes part of the
public record and it's available," he said.
Aquino said even when he served as Tarlac congressman and senator, his annual
statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) was always available for
the public to see and that he had "nothing to hide" from the very start.
This makes it imperative for Corona – being head of the judiciary – to do the
same, he said.
Corona's lawyer yesterday said the magistrate had declared the acquisition
costs of the five real properties and country club shares he owns in his
statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) for 2011.
The acquisition costs were included in Corona's SALN after he apparently
failed to fill up the column for acquisition costs in his previous SALNs.
Corona's impeachment trial at the Senate resumes today after a five-week
break.
Prosecutors are pinning down Corona on three Articles of Impeachment,
including betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution
when he failed to declare in his SALN some of his properties and alleged peso
and foreign currency deposits.
"It's more of a clarification, an amplification on the CJ's SALN," lawyer
Ramon Esguerra told The STAR.
Corona had submitted his latest SALN before the Supreme Court clerk of court
prior to the April 30 deadline.
"They do not want to call the slight changes in his SALN as 'corrections', it
is just an amplification on what has been listed there in previous years," he
added.
Esguerra pointed out that Corona's move should not be seen as an attempt to
admit discrepancies in his previous SALNs.
"He has been doing this practice for the past 20 years. He just made the
clarifications," he explained.
Esguerra said he is not privy whether the Chief Justice also made amendments
pertaining to his "cash and investments."
In his 2010 SALN, Corona declared P3.5 million in cash and investments,
bringing his total assets and net worth to P22.938 million with no liabilities.

Although there is a Supreme Court resolution barring the release of his SALN
without approval of the justices, Esguerra admitted that Corona is wary about
releasing his SALN publicly because critics might again use it against him.
The lawyer said the Chief Justice has also taken a position that his current
SALN is not relevant to the impeachment trial since the Articles of Impeachment
cover only SALNs from 2002 to 2010.
The defense team hopes to wrap up their presentation of evidence and
witnesses in two to three weeks.
The Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, had summoned Justice Secretary
Leila de Lima but the House prosecution team had filed a motion to quash the
subpoena last Friday.
Corona's lawyers are also inclined to present a tax expert who will explain
every entry of the chief magistrate's SALNs to prove that he disclosed and
truthfully filed them.
According to Esguerra, Corona's 2011 SALN also reflected the couple's club
shares in The Palms Country Club Inc. in Filinvest, Alabang.
The P700,000 worth of Palm shares were mentioned by Bureau Internal and
Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Kim Henares when she testified at the Senate earlier
this year.
Esguerra said the Chief Justice had placed amounts on the space provided for
acquisition costs of the five properties, which he listed in his 2010 SALN.
These included a house and lot in Xavierville, Quezon City acquired in 1970
with an assessed value of P337,820 and a current fair market value of P7.138
million; a condominium unit (Burgundy) in Quezon City acquired in 1997, with an
assessed value of P276,320 and a fair market value of P921,000.
The Chief Justice had also listed a condominium unit in Makati City (2003)
and two units in Taguig (2004 and 2010). – With Christina
Mendez



Chief News Editor: Sol
Jose Vanzi

© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE
NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved





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