Only P10,000 left in Corona account

MANILA, Philippines - Only P10,354.98 has been found in the bank accounts of ousted chief justice Renato Corona since the Sandiganbayan issued a freeze order on his assets and that of his wife Cristina in March 2015.

Corona’s account in Land Bank of the Philippines yielded only P2,158.94 in deposits, Sheriff IV Alexander Valencia said in his latest report to the anti-graft court’s Second Division. 

This is in addition to P615.06 seized from Corona’s accounts in Banco de Oro Loyola Heights-Berkeley Residences branch, P1,056.27 from   Bank of the Philippine Islands, and Philippine National Bank in Diliman, Quezon City, which contained only P6,524.71.

The Sandiganbayan issued a freeze order on the assets of the Corona couple worth P130.5 million based on a forfeiture case filed by the Office of the Ombudsman.

The anti-graft court also served garnishment orders on eight properties of the spouses, including condominium units in One Burgundy Plaza, Katipunan Avenue, Loyola Heights, Quezon City; The Columns, Ayala Avenue, Makati; Belagio I, Fort  Bonifacio, Taguig; and Bonifacio Ridge, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig.

Valencia earlier reported notices of garnishment were served on a real property in Maranaw, La Vista, Quezon City as well as three parking lots.

The freezing of the assets of the Corona spouses through a writ of preliminary attachment seeks to ensure that if it is proven that the spouses did acquire the wealth illegally, the state would recover them in full.

The ousted chief justice and his wife acquired and accumulated ill-gotten wealth from 2001 to 2011 that were never declared in their Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net worth, the Office of the Ombudsman said.