THE Senate Impeachment Court on Monday confirmed that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. authorized the release of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte’s tax records in compliance with the court’s subpoena in the impeachment trial.
Presiding Officer Senator-judge Francis “Chiz” Escudero disclosed that the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) submitted the required presidential authorization before the Office of the Clerk of Court accepted the tax records.
“For the information of the senator-judges, the Clerk of Court received the submission coming from the BIR after the BIR commissioner submitted a presidential authorization providing for the release of the documents from the BIR as required by Section 71 in relation to Section 270 of the National Internal Revenue Code,” Escudero said.
The tax records form part of the documentary evidence sought by the House prosecution under the Impeachment Court’s July 20 subpoena order in connection with Article II of the impeachment complaint, which alleges that Duterte amassed unexplained wealth.
Escudero also informed the senator-judges that the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), BDO Unibank, Philippine Savings Bank, Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co., Security Bank, Land Bank of the Philippines and the Bank of the Philippine Islands had likewise submitted subpoenaed records to the Office of the Clerk of Court on July 30.
He said, however, that BDO Unibank and Security Bank requested additional time to complete their compliance.
BDO sought 10 additional banking days, or until Aug. 13, to retrieve, compile and submit account transaction records, ledgers, journals and transaction logs covered by the subpoena.
Security Bank, meanwhile, said it needed 10 more working days to complete the printing of bank records relating to two of the 20 entities covered by the subpoena—Gencorp Industries Inc. and Cale 88 Foods Corp.
The impeachment court granted both requests and directed the banks to complete their submissions by Aug. 13.
Escudero also ordered BDO to submit four additional USB flash drives containing electronic copies of the records it had already turned over. He said the same requirement for additional electronic copies would apply to the other banks and government agencies that complied with the subpoenas.
He said copies of all subpoenaed records would be released simultaneously to both the House prosecution panel and the defense only after all submissions have been completed.
“The parties will be given equal opportunity to review the documents, photocopy the same, and study the same,” Escudero said.
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