The Office of the President, through Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte, denied Wednesday that the controversial leaked bank records of Chief Justice Renato Corona in the impeachment trial came from Malacañang.

Valte pointed out that Palace officials did not have access to confidential bank documents, and that the prosecution panel should be the ones explaining where the documents came from.

Valte said she sees no reason for the Palace to intervene in the event that Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas officials are summoned by the impeachment court to testify in the trial.

Furthermore, she denied that President Benigno Aquino III wants full control of the three branches of government. "Such claims are far from the truth," she said, adding that the Executive Department is confident that the public will not be easily influenced by such claims.

The last thing that the people will believe about the President, she said, is that he is a dictator.

She also defended President Aquino from certain impressions that he is obsessing over the impeachment trial. She said the Chief Executive is so preoccupied with other state matters and that he is only able to monitor the trial in between meetings.

ACL / Reportage from AC Nicholls