Corona on allegations by wife's cousin: Don't believe her lies

Impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona on Tuesday said there was no truth to accusations made by the cousin of his wife Cristina that he "oppressed" other people just to gain control of his wife's family corporation.

 

Corona told GMA News Online there was also nothing new in the allegations that Ana Basa disclosed in an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer which published on Tuesday. 

 

In the interview, the Las Vegas-based Basa, who was visiting the country for her aunt's birthday, suspected that Cristina succeeded in committing injustice toward fellow relative-stockholders of the family firm Basa Guidote Enterprises, Inc. with the help of Corona.

 

But the chief magistrate denied the accusation. "Don't believe her lies. She and her branch of the family have been uttering and repeating those lies for the past 30 years," Corona told GMA News Online in a text message.

 

Ana is one of nine children of Jose Ma. Basa III, one of the original BGEI stockholders and Cristina's uncle.   

Cristina's parents — Vicente Roco and Asuncion Basa-Roco —  were incoporators and served as board directors of the family firm along with Jose Basa III, Raymunda G. Basa and Flor Maria Basa.

 

After most of the original incorporators of the BGEI had died, Ana claimed that Vicente had “casually delegated his responsibility and function to his daughter Cristina” even without a board resolution to support it.

 

But Corona criticized Ana for meddling in the dispute even if "she is not even stockholder of the corporation." BGEI funds?

 

Corona, who is undergoing an impeachment trial for alleged betrayal of public trust, earlier claimed — through his lawyers — that the more than P34 million that he withdrew from three accounts with the Philippine Savings Bank did not belong to him but to the BGEI. 

 

He said he withdrew the money on the same day he was impeached last December 12 to "protect" the amount from scrutiny by the impeachment court, so as the amount would not be mistaken to be his.

 

It was also from the BGEI that the Corona family secured an P11-million cash advance in 2003. The prosecution questioned the transaction in open court, pointing out that it was acquired from an already "dissolved" firm. The defense, for its part, said the firm was not dissolved but merely lost its business license.

 

Meanwhile, defense lawyer and spokesperson Tranquil Salvador III said there was nothing to worry about Basa's statements. "I think that is not covered by the impeachment case," Salvador told GMA News Online.

 

"At the most, it confirms the fact that Basa-Guidote has assets and funds," Salvador added. — RSJ, GMA News