- Petitioner
- Philippine Savings Bank
- Respondent
- Senate Impeachment Court
- Citation
- G.R. No. 200238
- Court
- Supreme Court
- Decided
- February 9, 2012
Whether the Senate Impeachment Court can compel disclosure of foreign currency deposits protected under Republic Act No. 6426 through subpoena in…
Summary
Philippine Savings Bank challenged a Senate Impeachment Court subpoena seeking foreign currency deposit records related to Chief Justice Corona's impeachment proceedings. The Supreme Court En Banc issued a temporary restraining order, ruling that Republic Act No. 6426 provides absolute confidentiality for foreign currency deposits with only one exception - written depositor consent. The Court distinguished this special law from the general Bank Secrecy Law (RA 1405), holding that impeachment proceedings do not override RA 6426's absolute confidentiality provisions. Since no written waiver was presented by Corona, the subpoena violated statutory banking confidentiality rights. The decision highlighted the tension between legislative impeachment powers and statutory banking protections, with the Court prioritizing the specific confidentiality mandate of foreign currency deposit laws over general impeachment investigative authority.