MANILA, Philippines — House Deputy Minority Leader Jose Manuel “Chel” Diokno on Tuesday described the Senate impeachment court’s decision to subpoena Vice President Sara Duterte’s financial and tax records as a significant development in the prosecution’s effort to prove allegations of unexplained wealth under the second article of impeachment.
Diokno, a member of the House prosecution panel, said the court’s ruling marks an important step toward gathering documentary evidence that prosecutors intend to present during the impeachment proceedings.
“This is a big step forward in the prosecution of the article on unexplained wealth,” Diokno said during a press briefing, noting that the subpoena order is only the beginning of the process.
The Senate impeachment court on Monday approved most of the prosecution panel’s requests for subpoenas covering Duterte’s bank and tax records, documents from the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), and records of companies in which Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio, reportedly have financial interests.
However, the court excluded foreign currency-denominated accounts from the subpoena order and denied requests involving two of the 21 corporations identified by prosecutors.
Diokno emphasized that the court’s action merely compels the production of documents and should not be construed as a ruling on their admissibility as evidence.
“We are not yet discussing whether these documents will be admitted as evidence. At this stage, we only sought to have the requested records produced before the impeachment court,” he explained.
According to Diokno, questions on admissibility will only arise once prosecutors formally offer the documents as part of their presentation on the unexplained wealth allegations.
Meanwhile, House prosecutors’ legal spokesperson Benjamin “Jay” Tolosa Jr. described the Senate’s ruling as a victory for truth and accountability, saying the documents could provide a more comprehensive view of the vice president’s financial holdings.
Tolosa said the subpoenaed records would help prosecutors establish what they believe to be Duterte’s complete financial picture once the impeachment court begins hearing the unexplained wealth charges.
Despite the development, Diokno said the prosecution will first complete the presentation of evidence on the impeachment article involving Duterte’s alleged threats before proceeding to allegations concerning the purported misuse of confidential funds and, eventually, the unexplained wealth charges.
“There’s still a lot that will happen before we reach that stage,” Diokno said.
elamigo/xf
