By Benjamin Cuaresma
The House Committee on Justice is bringing in former senator Antonio Trillanes IV and officials from the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) for the next round of hearings on the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte.
The April 14 session, led by committee chairperson Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro, will focus on gathering documents and testimonies tied to the alleged misuse of confidential funds.
The move to summon Trillanes and the AMLC comes after Akbayan party-list Rep. Chel Diokno pushed for subpoenas covering bank records and other financial files that lawmakers say are central to establishing probable cause.
Also expected to appear is Ramil Madriaga, described as Duterte’s former aide, who is set to face the panel for the first time. Madriaga earlier submitted an affidavit alleging he helped move large sums of cash at the direction of the Vice President’s security detail.
The committee has likewise directed Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla to attend the hearing and turn over certified copies of Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs) for 2007 to 2013 and 2022 to 2025. Other subpoenaed materials include income tax returns and agency reports that have not been made public.
Luistro emphasized that the proceedings remain in the preliminary stage. “We are determining probable cause, not guilt,” she said, noting that the panel has 60 session days from February 23 to act on the complaints. A finding of probable cause would require a one-third vote of House members before the case moves to the Senate for trial.
The Vice President has not attended the hearings. Her legal team maintains that the House panel cannot conduct what it calls a “mini-trial” and that the complaints violate the constitutional one-year ban on successive impeachment attempts.
ia/xf
