THE Filipino people are calling on the Senate impeachment court to obtain and examine Vice President Sara Z. Duterte’s bank, tax and Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) records so it can determine the truth behind the unexplained-wealth allegations against her, House trial spokesperson Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong of Lanao and private prosecutor Atty. Benjamin “Jay” Tolosa Jr. said Monday.
Alonto Adiong said the Constitution gives the Senate the exclusive power to try and decide impeachment cases and that the court should not restrict its access to material evidence.
“Ang sinasabi ng House Prosecution Panel, as sufficiently and aptly discussed by [Prosecutor] Chel Diokno in his oral argument, dapat ang Senado hindi i-clip ang kapangyarihang ito,” Alonto Adiong said at a press briefing Monday.
The prosecution has requested subpoenas for bank records, Bureau of Internal Revenue filings and AMLC material involving Duterte, her husband Manases Carpio and their financial interests. The requested records relate to Article II, which contains allegations of unexplained wealth and nondisclosure of assets.
“It is very important for the court to have an accurate basis or reference for them to arrive into a conclusion, a sound and impartial conclusion,” Alonto Adiong said.
Alonto Adiong cited the public reaction to the 2001 impeachment trial of former President Joseph Estrada. On January 16, 2001, senator-judges voted 11–10 against opening a second envelope that allegedly contained evidence involving a bank account attributed to Estrada under another name. The prosecution walked out, and the trial was not completed.
“Naiintindihan po natin ang ating taong bayan, iyong clamor nila, iyong demand nila for accountability, iyong demand nila for the Senate acting as impeachment court to exercise that extraordinary power,” he said.
House prosecution legal spokesperson and counsel Tolosa said the panel shared the public call for the requested records to be produced and examined.
“Naririnig namin at sumasang-ayon kami sa panawagan at paniniwala ng ating mga kababayan na napakahalaga na makita itong mga dokumento na ito para makita natin ang kabuuang yaman ng VP,” Tolosa said.
Tolosa said the requests rest on constitutional authority, statutory exceptions, jurisprudence and impeachment precedent. Production would not establish guilt; the court would still determine the records’ admissibility and weight.
Tolosa also addressed the alleged P6.7-billion figure cited from AMLC material. It refers to aggregate transactions allegedly linked to Duterte and Carpio, not a P6.7-billion bank balance.
“Pinakita itong mga AMLC records which disclosed that the Vice President and her husband had financial transactions amounting to P6.7 billion. I have to emphasize that, P6.7 billion. Ano ang naging tugon nila dito? Ang naging explanation ng kampo ng VP ay these numbers were supposedly bloated,” Tolosa said.
Tolosa recounted the defense position that the transaction totals may have included repeated interbank transfers between accounts. He said obtaining the underlying bank records could test that explanation.
“Now, kung ganoon ang kanilang depensa, hindi ba makakatulong para sa lahat at para din sa kanila na buksan itong mga bank records na ito para once and for all ma-settle magkano ba talaga ang nilalaman ng mga bank accounts niya?” Tolosa asked.
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