MANILA — House prosecutor and Akbayan Party-list Rep. Chel Diokno on Monday maintained that a complete review of a public official’s financial transactions is essential in determining whether unexplained wealth exists, telling the Senate impeachment court that Supreme Court rulings support the prosecution’s request for Vice President Sara Duterte’s financial records.
Addressing questions from Senator-Judge Joel Villanueva during oral arguments on the prosecution’s subpoena requests, Diokno said the move is based on long-standing legal principles governing cases involving unexplained wealth.
He explained that the allegations under Article II of the impeachment complaint cannot be fairly assessed through the Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) alone, describing the document as only a limited representation of an official’s financial condition.
According to Diokno, investigators must also examine records that reflect actual financial activity, including bank transactions and other sources of income, to determine whether an official’s declared assets correspond with his or her earnings.
To reinforce the prosecution’s argument, Diokno referred to the Supreme Court ruling in *Department of Finance-Revenue Integrity Protection Service v. Merencilla*, where the Court faulted investigators for failing to evaluate the respondent’s overall financial circumstances before concluding that unexplained wealth existed.
He noted that the ruling emphasized the importance of considering a government official’s entire financial history, including all lawful sources of income and accumulated net worth throughout public service.
Diokno said the prosecution is following the same standard by seeking access to records from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), banking institutions, and the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).
He argued that these documents are necessary to determine whether the respondent’s assets, liabilities, net worth, and income are supported by legitimate sources.
The House prosecutor stressed that the prosecution is not asking the impeachment court to immediately admit the requested documents as evidence, but only to issue subpoenas that would allow investigators to obtain them.
He added that questions regarding the admissibility of the records can be resolved later during the trial, when the defense will have the opportunity to challenge their use before the impeachment court.
Diokno maintained that obtaining the requested financial records is necessary to ensure a thorough and objective examination of the allegations under the impeachment complaint.
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