THE House prosecution will first present officials from the Land Registration Authority before the testimony of former Sen. Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV as a witness in Vice President Sara Z. Duterte’s impeachment trial.
House prosecutor Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon said Monday that records from the Register of Deeds (RD) and Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) would be presented ahead of Trillanes.
“Sa tingin ko mas mahalaga po na unahin muna natin iyong mga documentary exhibits. For example, iyong sa RD at sa AMLC,” Ridon said at a post-trial press briefing.
“Iyong pagkakasunod-sunod naman ho, we can change it in the middle of presentation. As the Court asked for additional witnesses this, we may present the Sen. Trillanes after the first set of witnesses,” he added.
Trillanes is still expected to take the witness stand later in the week to discuss financial transactions he previously brought before the House Committee on Justice during its impeachment proceedings.
In April, he submitted a sworn affidavit and bank transaction records that he said traced billions of pesos through accounts linked to Duterte and members of her family, including alleged joint accounts involving the Vice President and her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Trillanes also cited three transactions totaling about P22.3 million that he alleged came from Samuel “Sammy” Uy and went to Duterte between 2011 and 2013. He questioned why the amounts did not appear in her Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth.
Meanwhile, Davao City Register of Deeds Kathy Florence Baldonado and Samal Deputy Register of Deeds Marco Pineda are expected to testify on land records involving properties registered to Duterte’s husband, lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio.
AMLC Secretariat Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura is likewise in the prosecution lineup to testify on financial records relevant to Article II.
Ridon said the AMLC report taken up during the House impeachment proceedings covered P6.7 billion in transactions, including P4.4 billion in inflows.
The prosecution is also preparing voluminous bank records submitted directly by about 10 banks to the Senate impeachment court in compliance with subpoenas.
House lead prosecutor Batangas 2nd District Rep. Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro said individual bank representatives may have to testify to identify and authenticate the records if Duterte’s defense does not agree to stipulate on their authenticity.
With the documentary evidence coming first, Trillanes is being kept for a subsequent stage of the prosecution’s presentation under Article II.
metrosundaily
