Manases Carpio
THE House prosecution panel may consider calling lawyer Manases Carpio, husband of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte, as a hostile witness in the Senate impeachment trial, House prosecutor and Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon said Thursday.
Ridon said prosecutors are studying whether Carpio’s testimony would be relevant to Article II of the impeachment complaint, which accuses the vice president of allegedly acquiring unexplained wealth.
Ridon, who is part of the prosecution panel tasked with presenting evidence on Article II alongside Akbayan Rep. Jose Manuel “Chel” Diokno, said Carpio could be summoned if his name appears in financial records or documents related to the allegations.
“Pwede pong pag-isipan, kasi siyempre kung halimbawa napapangalanan siya doon sa ilang mga bank accounts, kung napapangalanan po siya doon sa ilan pong mga dokumento, eh I think rightfully, pwede pong maipatawag para maitanong yung katotohanan sa likod po ng mga dokumento na ito,” Ridon said.
However, he clarified that Carpio is not currently included in the prosecution’s list of witnesses.
“I think that is still at a very early stage in our discussions…Wala pa naman po sa pinag-uusapan na may sama po si Atty. Carpio doon po sa bilang po ng witnesses po namin as a hostile witness,” he said. “Pero pwede po naming pag-isipan ito.”
He said the possibility remains under discussion and that prosecutors have yet to decide whether to include Carpio as a hostile witness.
The initial list of witnesses includes officials and representatives from banks, the Office of the Ombudsman, the Bureau of Internal Revenue, and the Securities and Exchange Commission, who are expected to provide records on the vice president and her husband’s financial transactions, tax payments, and registered businesses.
Ridon said the prosecution has already obtained documents subpoenaed by the Senate impeachment court, including records related to bank accounts and corporate registrations.
The prosecution panel also has in its possession a report from the Anti-Money Laundering Council detailing P6.7 billion worth of financial transactions involving the Duterte-Carpio couple over a 20-year period. Several banks reportedly flagged these transactions as covered and suspicious.
The report showed that more than P4 billion involved inflows, while around P1.5 billion consisted of outflows.
Ridon and Diokno are scheduled to begin presenting evidence on the alleged unexplained wealth of Duterte on Monday.
The prosecution has asked the impeachment court to issue subpoenas for an initial set of three witnesses.
Before presenting evidence, the prosecution also filed a request for admission regarding Duterte’s bank accounts and financial transactions.
Diokno earlier told the court that if Vice President Duterte confirms the existence of the accounts, the prosecution could avoid presenting at least 15 witnesses, which would help expedite the proceedings.
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