Rep. Romero Quimbo of Marikina City (Metro Manila), a spokesman for the House panel, said that Corona could face charges of tax evasion and malversation based on the testimonies of three defense witnesses and certifications pertaining to salaries, allowances and other perks received by Corona from 2002 to 2011.
These witnesses said that Corona got more than P21 million in a span of 10 years. Defense lawyers said that they wanted to show that the chief magistrate had the means to purchase several condominium units in Metro Manila.
“The three witnesses so far presented by the defense lawyers have effectively established that the Chief Justice is guilty of malversation and tax evasion if these funds are indeed his income as what the defense has certified in their presentation,” Quimbo said.
Araceli Bayuga, chief disbursement officer of the Supreme Court, said that Corona earned P21.6 million in salaries, allowances and other benefits from 2002 to 2011. However, the allowances, according to her, could only be used for office-related purposes.
Quimbo said the P21.6 million cannot be considered as Corona’s earnings since part of the money could not be tapped for personal use.
“It is clear that these allowances cannot be used for purposes other than for those provided by law.
Continue Reading at Manila Times, by Ruben D. Manahan 4th, Llanesca T. Panti and Ritchie A. Horario
