Valte: Number of Corona accounts doesn't matter, the amount does

Malacañang on Saturday belittled claims of impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona’s lawyers that their client has only four and not 82 dollar accounts, saying what counts is the amount inside those existing accounts. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the bottom line is that Corona should have included the accounts in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN). “It doesn’t matter if there are four, three or 82 (accounts); what’s important is what’s in them, magkano ang amounts," she said on government-run dzRB radio. Valte, who made the comments amid an earlier self-imposed ban by the Palace on commenting on Corona’s trial, also noted the president of PS Bank who testified at the impeachment trial had said Corona had five bank accounts. She added Corona’s camp must focus on the “simple questions” that need to be answered, including if there are dollar deposits; how much is in those deposits; and if those deposits were mentioned in the SALN. “Let’s not focus on the accounts, rather ano ang laman (Let’s not focus on the number of accounts but how much is in those accounts),” she said. On Friday, Corona’s lawyers claimed their client is ready to debunk the claim of Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales that he owned 82 dollar accounts with a “transactional balance” of $10 million. Anti-Corona text messages Malacañang also distanced itself from anti-Corona text messages being sent out since Thursday, including one that claimed Corona’s wife was heading abroad. She also “reminded” Corona that as chief magistrate of the land, he is the one “expected to uphold justice, the rule of law and follow all the laws.” “They should stop blaming us for what happened to them and start answering questions. That’s the problem, the senators are asking the people are asking what’s in those accounts,” Valte said. “We have better things to do and we don’t engage in black propaganda,” she added. — LBG, GMA News