The Senate, sitting as the impeachment court, on Monday voted 13-10 to abide by the Supreme Court’s order prohibiting them from examining the dollar accounts of impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona.
Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, the presiding officer, announced the decision during Monday afternoon's trial. The senator-judges voted during a caucus held earlier in the day.
"The 13 members of the court opted to respect the TRO issued by the SC from this particular issue regarding the matter raised by the PSBank with respect to the alleged foreign currency deposits of the respondent [Corona] in that bank," Enrile said.
Those who voted to respect the high court's temporary restraining order were Enrile, Senators Joker Arroyo, Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Manuel Villar, Ralph Recto, Francis Escudero, Koko Pimentel, Loren Legarda, Gregorio Honasan, Ramon Bong Revilla Jr., Ferdinand Marcos, Jinggoy Estrada, and Vicente Sotto III.
On the other hand, those who voted to defy the order were Senators Franklin Drilon, Alan Peter Cayetano, Pia Cayetano, Sergio Osmena III, Edgardo Angara, Panfilo Lacson, Francis Pangilinan, Antonio Trillanes IV, Lito Lapid, and Teofisto Guingona III.
The caucus was held a day after Corona's lawyers accused Malacañang of dangling P100 million to senator-judges for them to defy the high court's TRO.
Monday's trial hearing began with several senator-judges taking turns scolding the defense panel for showing a disrespect for the court, with lawyer Jose Roy III apologizing on behalf of Corona's lawyers.
The Senate had earlier subpoenaed representatives from the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) and the Philippine Savings Bank (PSBank) to testify on Article II of the impeachment complaint, which accuses Corona of failure to properly disclose all his assets in his Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs).
On Wednesday last week, PSBank President Pascual Garcia III admitted before the impeachment court that Corona had almost P20 million in savings as of 2010.
The prosecution also accused Corona of maintaining dollar accounts in PSBank containing at least US$700,000 (roughly P30 million).
Garcia, however, declined to divulge information on Corona’s five dollar accounts with them, saying it might expose him to criminal liability. PSBank also filed a petition with the SC asking for the prohibition of the production of documents related with Corona’s foreign currency bank accounts. — KBK/VS/HS, GMA News
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