A VICE chair of the House Committee on Justice on Monday said scrutiny of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs) is not without precedent, citing the 2012 impeachment of the late Chief Justice Renato Corona.
San Juan City Rep. Ysabel Maria Zamora made the remark while the panel reviews Duterte’s SALNs regarding alleged non-disclosure and unexplained wealth, which the Vice President’s camp has dismissed as a “fishing expedition” and lacking ultimate facts.
“The non-disclosure of certain assets or even just one asset in the SALNs and the failure to show the proper increase or the reason for that increase was, well, that was used against Corona,” Zamora said in an interview with ANC Headstart, noting such omissions were considered an impeachable offense.
Corona was impeached by the House and convicted by the Senate in 2012 for failing to disclose his assets fully, including bank accounts not reflected in his SALN.
The case established that even a single material omission or an unexplained increase in wealth could constitute a violation of the Constitution and grounds for impeachment under betrayal of public trust.
Zamora stated that the panel has issued subpoenas for Duterte’s SALNs to ascertain the accuracy of asset declarations and the sufficiency of explanations for wealth increases.
The complaints claim that Duterte did not fully disclose her assets and that there are differences in her financial statements, along with possible connections to bank accounts and business interests that are not shown in her SALNs.
The committee has also sought records from the Securities and Exchange Commission to examine these alleged connections.
Zamora stated that the panel is also examining a broader set of allegations, including possible ill-gotten wealth, as part of the SALN review.
In the last hearing, we identified the issues or grounds on which we will conduct our probable cause hearing. She also mentioned that the complaint included references to ill-gotten wealth.
The House justice panel has ordered the production of Duterte’s SALNs covering her years in public office, along with related financial and corporate records, to trace the source and movement of her declared wealth.
The impeachment complaints also include allegations of misuse of confidential funds, alleged threats against the President and other officials, and other acts categorized under bribery and betrayal of public trust.
Lawmakers are examining whether Duterte’s declared wealth aligns with her lawful income and whether any undisclosed assets, bank accounts or business interests could support allegations of ill-gotten wealth.
The committee is determining probable cause, the final step before the case can be transmitted to the Senate for trial.
