UNABLE to secure a temporary restraining order (TRO) from the Supreme Court, the counsels of impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona failed to stop the Senate, sitting as impeachment court, from allowing the House prosecution panel to scrutinize in public the bank records of the embattled chief magistrate.

The impeachment court yesterday allowed bank officials of the Philippine Savings Bank (PSBank) to testify on the alleged existence of five accounts of Corona with them. Pascual Garcia III, PSBank president, appeared at yesterday’s impeachment trial to testify on the alleged five peso accounts in the name of Renato Corona with the bank as of Dec.31, 2010.

The defense panel filed a 39-page petition with the Supreme Court stopping the conduct of the impeachment trial while the PS Bank also filed a separate motion “seeking guidance” on whether the bank can divulge the dollar bank records of Corona.

In ruling that the impeachment court could proceed, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, the impeachment court presiding officer, said the senator-judges “are mandated to try” an impeachment case.

He advised the defense team that they would be free to object against the presentation of witnesses from the bank. “In the absence of TRO from Supreme Court the chair rules that we must proceed with the trial,” he said.

Garcia testified that as of December 30, 2010 Corona has an account balance amounting to P40,246,810.65 in three accounts under his name. The two other accounts were non-existent.

However, Garcia refused to bring records of Corona’s dollar account for fear of violating Republic Act 6426 or the Foreign Currency Deposit Act. “We had assessed and determined that the disclosure of these accounts would expose us to criminal liability and so we sought guidance of the Supreme Court,” he said.

Garcia maintained that under the law, dollar deposits “are absolutely confidential.” He added: "Without consent of the depositor, we are exposing ourselves to criminal liability.”