House prosecutor and Akbayan Party-list Rep. Jose Manuel “Chel” Diokno on Tuesday said the Senate impeachment court’s order allowing the subpoena of Vice President Sara Duterte’s financial and tax records is a significant step in the prosecution’s effort to prove the unexplained wealth charge against her.
Diokno, who led the prosecution’s oral arguments on the subpoena motions on Monday, said the ruling is important in preparing the prosecution’s evidence under Article II of the impeachment complaint.
“‘Yung nangyari po kahapon sa aming pananaw ay isang (What happened yesterday, in our point of view, is a) big step forward insofar as the prosecution of Article II on unexplained wealth is concerned,” Diokno said during a press conference on Tuesday.
He, however, stressed that the case is still in its early stages.
“Pero gusto ko rin bigyang-diin na ito ay isang developing story. Hindi pa ito tapos dahil simula pa lang actually ito ng pagpre-prepare namin (But I also want to emphasize that it is a developing story. It’s not yet finished since it is just the beginning actually of our preparations) for the documents that will be produced on July 30,” Diokno said.
On Monday, the Senate impeachment court approved most of the prosecution’s requests to subpoena Duterte’s bank and tax records, Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) documents, and records of companies in which she and her husband, lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio, have financial interests.
The tribunal excluded foreign currency-denominated accounts and two of the 21 corporations identified by the prosecution.
Diokno clarified that the ruling only orders the production of the requested documents and does not mean they are already admissible as evidence.
He said the issue of admissibility will be addressed only after the prosecution formally offers the documents as evidence during its presentation of the unexplained wealth case.
“‘Yung darating po tayo sa issue ng (We will come up with the) offer of evidence and admissibility of evidence ‘pag nagpe-presenta na ang Article II team ng aming ebidensya at testigo (when Article II team presents our evidence and witnesses) on unexplained wealth,” Diokno said.
Lawyer Benjamin “Jay” Tolosa Jr., legal spokesperson and counsel for the House prosecutors, described the Senate’s action as an important victory for truth and accountability.
“Pinakita nito na sa isang (This has shown that an) impeachment proceeding, ang katotohanan ay hindi hinuhulaan at mas lalong hindi kinukubli. Ito ay sinisiyasat nang mabuti at pinapatunayan gamit ang ebidensya (the truth is not be guessed more so, not to be hidden),” Tolosa said.
He said access to the subpoenaed documents would help prosecutors present what they believe is the Vice President’s complete financial picture when the Senate begins hearing the unexplained wealth article.
Before that, Diokno said the prosecution will first complete the presentation of evidence on the article involving Duterte’s alleged threats before proceeding to the charge over the alleged misuse of confidential funds.
“Abangan po natin ‘yung mga susunod na kabanata. Marami pa naman mangyayari (Let’s wait for the next chapter. There are still more to take place) before we reach unexplained wealth. We will be dealing with, of course, today the threats article and then tomorrow we start with the confidential funds,” he said. (PNA)