By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — A former law dean tapped by Vice President Sara Duterte’s defense team to explain constitutional issues in her impeachment case has refused to take the witness stand, saying his participation could compromise his independence as a legal scholar.
Ralph Sarmiento, former dean of the University of St. La Salle College of Law and recently retired vice chancellor for administration, announced his decision in a public statement on Thursday, November 5.
Sarmiento said he could not testify for either the prosecution or the defense, stressing that his constitutional law research and legal opinions must remain impartial and independent of political proceedings.
He thanked Duterte’s legal team for recognizing his previous analyses but said he had not expected his published views to become part of the impeachment trial.
The defense had asked the Senate Impeachment Court to subpoena Sarmiento to discuss constitutional and legal principles relevant to the case, particularly Article II, which covers allegations of unexplained wealth against the vice president.
He also urged the defense to withdraw its subpoena request or seek its recall if the court had already issued it.
A 1997 Bar examination topnotcher who placed 10th, Sarmiento has authored legal reference materials on Bar examination logic and international law.
His refusal comes as the impeachment proceedings move to the presentation of the defense’s evidence following the prosecution’s completion of its case.
ia/xf
