By Benjamin Cuaresma
The Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) informed the Senate impeachment court on Thursday that Vice President Sara Duterte held dollar accounts with the bank, a disclosure that emerged after her defense team withdrew its final BPI witness.
Defense counsel Michael Poa said BPI Senior Vice President and legal department head Atty. Paul Roderick Ysmael would no longer testify, explaining that his intended appearance was only to authenticate a letter Poa had already acknowledged writing.
The development prompted private prosecutor James Bryan Ibrahim Alih to seek permission to question Ysmael about the bank documents, particularly the BPI letter confirming the dollar accounts.
Alih said the accounts were not covered by the earlier subpoena, leaving the prosecution unable to examine the records during its presentation of evidence.
Senate President Francis Escudero, presiding over the impeachment court, did not allow the prosecution to question the matter at that stage. He said the prosecution could raise it later through a memorandum, closing arguments or rebuttal evidence.
The defense had earlier dropped 15 other bank witnesses before withdrawing Ysmael, its last remaining bank representative.
The disclosure surfaced during the trial of Article II, which concerns allegations of unexplained wealth and inaccurate asset declarations. Duterte’s defense has disputed the accusations.
ia/xf
