THE House prosecution was caught by surprise by former police officer Rodulfo Gracioso Jr.’s allegations involving Vice President Sara Z. Duterte but will examine his affidavit and supporting evidence for possible use in her impeachment trial, House prosecutor Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua said Monday.
Chua said Gracioso’s claims were not anticipated by prosecutors but came as they are presenting evidence under Article II of the Articles of Impeachment involving Duterte’s alleged unexplained wealth.
“Ang unang-una, ito’y malaking sorpresa para sa amin dahil hindi naman po namin ina-anticipate ’to,” Chua said during a press briefing.
“Bagamat very timely dahil iyong usapin ngayon na Article II ay pwede mong sabihin na pwedeng konektado dito,” he added.
Gracioso, a former security aide of former Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, has alleged that he delivered suitcases containing cash to Duterte on Velasco’s instructions on more than 20 occasions, with the total allegedly exceeding P2 billion.
Duterte has denied Gracioso’s allegations, saying she does not know him and never received money from him.
Chua stressed that prosecutors would first carefully study and verify Gracioso’s claims before deciding what weight, if any, they should carry in the impeachment case.
“Pero siyempre, itong mga binitawan ni Gracioso, kailangan medyo may pag-iingat at pag-aaral muna,” he said.
Chua said the prosecution would examine Gracioso’s affidavit, authenticate photographs and other evidence he submitted, and look for evidence that could corroborate his account.
“Titingnan namin iyong mga corroborative evidence na kanyang mga sinumite nang sa ganoon ay tingnan natin iyong magiging bigat ng kanyang salaysay,” he added.
Chua said prosecutors could not simply dismiss the allegations but would also not consider them without proper scrutiny.
“In short, hindi naman po pwedeng i-dismiss namin o balewalain. Pero siyempre, kung ito’y iko-consider namin, kailangan i-consider namin ito na may pag-iingat,” he reiterated.
The House prosecution is currently presenting evidence on Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth, business interests and financial transactions as part of its case on her alleged unexplained wealth.
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