EVEN if the five dollar accounts of impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona would not be presented in the impeachment court, the spokespersons of the prosecution panel said the successful disclosure of P31.74 million undeclared bank deposits of the head magistrate would be sufficient to warrant his conviction under Article 2 of the impeachment complaint.

Marikina City Rep. Miro Quimbo, Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara and Deputy Speaker and Quezon Rep. Lorenzo “Erin” Tañada III, spokespersons for the House prosecution panel, were referring to Corona’s nearly P20 million in two Philippine Savings Bank (PSBank) accounts and P12 million in Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) as of Dec. 31, 2010.

“Even without the dollar deposits, we are already very confident that we have proven beyond reasonable doubt the guilt of the Chief Justice. We have been able to show that he failed to declare three condominiums for a number of years as well as deposits in 2010 alone. Article two is already a case closed as far as we are concerned,” said Quimbo after the SC issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) preventing the senator-judges to subpoena the five foreign currency accounts in PSBank of Corona upon the bank’s request.

Angara said: “I think the evidence is quite convincing and overwhelming at this point. Before the bank accounts were presented, many were saying that the omissions in the SALN could have been honest omissions but with the large undeclared amounts of money, that defense or theory seems to have been abandoned. The burden of evidence seems to have shifted to the defense.”

“Yes we have enough evidence. Malakas na ang ebidensya para ma-convict si CJ Corona sa Article two sa kadahilanan na hindi siya nag-file ng isang makatotohanang SALN. Ang dollar accounts ay para maipakita na marami siyang inililihim sa publiko,” said Tañada.

Article of Impeachment number two refers to Corona’s alleged failure to disclose truthfully to the public his statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALN) which is culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust.

Aside from the failure to declare bank accounts in his SALN, Quimbo said that Corona failed to list his pricey condominium properties, namely: P14.5-million Bellagio penthouse in Global City, Taguig in 2009;  another condo unit in Bonifacio Ridge also in Global City in 2004 and his condo at The Columns in Makati City in 2003 in his SALN during the years they were acquired.

Quimbo stressed that the properties were declared only in 2010, five to six years after the Bonifacio Ridge and The Columns condo units were purchased and a year after the Bellagio 1 penthouse was acquired.

The prosecution also stressed that Corona allegedly undervalued the three properties by P16.9 million in his SALN and only declared these in his 2010 filing.