HOUSE lead prosecutor and Batangas Rep. Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro on Thursday night said the defense panel of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte prolonged the impeachment pre-trial by declining to use common markings for documentary exhibits that both parties intend to present during the trial.
Luistro raised the issue after the Senate impeachment court completed the marking of exhibits and formally terminated the pre-trial conference ahead of the July 6 start of the impeachment trial.
She said the prosecution proposed using the same marked copies for common documentary exhibits because both parties were referring to identical records, but the defense insisted on maintaining a separate set of marked documents.
“We put on record our observation about the common exhibits that in spite of the willingness of the prosecution, we share the marking in the same exhibit because, after all, it is exactly the same. That’s why we call it common exhibit. The defense maintained their position to put their marking on a separate set of documents,” Luistro said during a press briefing.
Luistro said the prosecution informed the impeachment court that the defense’s position substantially lengthened the pre-marking process, particularly given the thousands of documentary exhibits involved in the case.
“I placed on record that that position of the defense actually prolonged the process of pre-marking of the exhibits of both the defense and the prosecution,” she said.
She explained that the same documents had to undergo the marking process twice because each party maintained separate copies.
“If you can imagine, we’re talking about the same documents, pero iba ang marking… so nagiging times two ’yung dedicated na time,” Luistro said.
The prosecution completed the marking of thousands of documentary exhibits, including voluminous records supporting the impeachment articles on alleged unexplained wealth and the alleged misuse of confidential funds.
Despite its objection, Luistro said the prosecution respected the defense’s prerogative to determine how it would present its evidence and merely placed its observations on record before the impeachment court.
