House Secretary General Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil submits to Impeachment Court Clerk and Senate Secretary Atty. Renato Bantug, Jr. Monday afternoon the pre-trial brief prepared by House prosecution panel for the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. The pre-trial brief include proposed stipulations of fact, a witness list and documentary evidence intended for presentation before the Senate impeachment court. Also submitted along with the pre-trial brief was the entry of appearance of private prosecutors assisting the House prosecution panel during the trial.
THE House prosecution panel on Monday submitted a 57-page pre-trial brief, along with documentary evidence it intends to present during the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte, ahead of the June 18 pre-trial conference before the Senate impeachment court.
House Secretary General Atty. Cheloy Garafil filed the pleading on behalf of the 11-member prosecution team led by House Committee on Justice Chairperson and Batangas Rep. Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro.
Garafil said the prosecution submitted 29 copies of the brief, more than enough for the 24 senator-judges who will sit as members of the impeachment court.
“We filed 29 copies of the legal brief, which is more than enough copies for all senators, 24 of them,” Garafil told reporters.
The prosecution panel also submitted the entries of appearance of the 10 private lawyers who will assist the House prosecutors during the impeachment proceedings.
Asked about the contents of the brief, Garafil declined to provide details.
“With respect to the contents of the brief, I’m not authorized to speak about it,” she said.
She likewise did not elaborate on the witnesses identified in the prosecution’s submission.
Earlier in the day, Luistro said in a press conference that the pre-trial brief includes proposed stipulations of fact and list of witnesses and documentary evidence that the prosecution intends to present before the Senate impeachment court.
She also disclosed that the prosecution plans to present more than 30 witnesses during the impeachment trial, saying the list was expanded to include additional individuals whose testimony could help establish the allegations contained in the Articles of Impeachment.
“It is more than 25. The witnesses are not only 25, it’s not only 30, it’s even more,” Luistro said.
Luistro explained that impeachment rules generally require witnesses to be identified during pre-trial proceedings before they can be allowed to testify during the trial.
The Batangas lawmaker added that the rules also allow parties to reserve certain witnesses and documentary evidence, provided their relevance and intended purpose are sufficiently described.
She said the mechanism helps address security concerns involving witnesses and situations where documents may not yet be available during the pre-trial stage.
The filing comes days before the Senate impeachment court’s scheduled pre-trial conference on June 18, where both sides are expected to identify their evidence, witnesses and other matters that will govern the conduct of the trial.
Last week, Luistro unveiled the first batch of private prosecutors who will assist the prosecution team on a pro bono basis.
She emphasized that the private lawyers will serve under the direct control and supervision of the panel throughout the proceedings.
The prosecution panel has repeatedly said it is prepared to present evidence supporting all four Articles of Impeachment, which include allegations of misuse of confidential funds, unexplained wealth, bribery, and threats against the country’s top officials.
