MANILA — The Senate impeachment court has ordered the return of a sealed Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) box while postponing a decision on the prosecution’s request to subpoena financial records involving Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband, Manases Carpio.
During Monday’s opening day of the impeachment trial, Senate impeachment court presiding officer Francis Escudero said the BIR package could not remain with the Senate because it had never been placed under the court’s legal custody.
He explained that although the box was submitted together with the impeachment documents, it had not been identified, marked, or formally offered as evidence.
Escudero therefore directed that the package be returned to the BIR sealed and unopened, emphasizing that the move does not prevent the court from later ordering its production should either party successfully seek a subpoena.
The impeachment court also heard arguments regarding the prosecution’s renewed motion seeking access to Duterte’s and Carpio’s bank records and AMLC documents covering nearly two decades.
The records requested include bank account details, financial transactions, covered and suspicious transaction reports, and other documents related to AMLC investigations.
House prosecutor Chel Diokno told the court that the prosecution filed a new request after an earlier application submitted on June 24 did not lead to the issuance of subpoenas.
Defense lawyer Sheila Sison questioned the scope of the request, arguing that the documents sought cover periods outside Duterte’s term as Vice President.
She cited the Supreme Court ruling in Duterte v. House of Representatives, saying impeachment proceedings should only concern acts allegedly committed during an impeachable official’s tenure.
Sison said the defense would submit a formal written objection, asserting that the prosecution’s request amounted to an expanded “fishing expedition.”
Diokno disagreed, arguing that evidence from earlier years may still be relevant if it helps establish allegations connected to Duterte’s conduct while in office.
He maintained that integrity is a continuing requirement for public officials and should be considered in evaluating the impeachment charges.
Escudero instructed both the prosecution and defense to exchange copies of all subpoena motions before filing them with the impeachment court to guarantee transparency and due process.
He gave both sides five days to file their respective comments and position papers before the court conducts oral arguments, after which the senator-judges will decide whether the requested subpoenas should be issued.
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