Impeachment court grants subpoena for Duterte’s financial records

Sen. Chiz Escudero–INQUIRER PHOTO / NIÑO JESUS ORBETA MANILA, Philippines— The Senate impeachment court on Monday granted the House prosecution panel’s request to subpoena the financial records of Vice President Sara Duterte, her husband, Manases Carpio, and their businesses. Article continues after this advertisement The prosecution sought the records in connection with allegations of unexplained wealth under Article II of the impeachment complaint against Duterte. The court said the records are prima facie relevant and material to Article II (unexplained wealth) and are not a “fishing expedition” because they are intended to establish a factual baseline for assessing whether Duterte’s assets and financial transactions during her term are disproportionate to her lawful income. The court allowed records from 2007 to 2021, rejecting the defense’s argument that these are “prior term” records, but clarified that they may only be used to establish a baseline and not to introduce new impeachable offenses. The court also allowed examination of the bank records of Duterte’s husband, Manases Carpio, saying their financial records are relevant because spouses are required to disclose assets under RA 6713. READ: House prosecutors want subpoenas for VP, husband’s financial records Article continues after this advertisement “The prosecution’s request is for the whole truth to come out, so that this Court may know the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and make its decisions based on that,” Akbayan Party-list Rep. Chel Diokno, a member of the prosecution panel, told the impeachment court on July 17. To justify their request, Diokno cited the 2012 impeachment trial of then Chief Justice Renato Corona, in which the court accepted the same requested documents as evidence. Article continues after this advertisement “From what I have gathered and read, your honors, please, this is not the first time this Court has been confronted with this issue,” he said. “In the impeachment trial of former Chief Justice Renato Corona, this Court admitted evidence gathered even before he assumed office as Chief Justice,” he added. In Duterte’s case, the prosecution sought financial records covering her tenure as Davao City vice mayor from 2007 to 2010 and as mayor from 2010 to 2013. “From 2007 to 2013, according to AMLC records, her financial activity exceeded P3 billion [P3,020,460,347.20],” the lawmaker said. But the vice president’s lawyers objected to the prosecutor’s request, calling it a “fishing expedition.” READ: Tax, bank records subpoena may be fishing expedition – Sara Duterte camp Defense lawyer Michael Poa noted that when the impeachment complaints were filed in the House of Representatives against the vice president, not a single financial transaction record was attached to support the allegation that Duterte had amassed unexplained wealth. “Your honors, in our legal system, it is not permitted to accuse now and then just look for proof later on. That is not how due process works. We should not allow that,” Poa said. The defense team also argued that the prosecution panel’s request was “fatally overbroad.” “Again, your honors, those are not my words. Those are the words of the Supreme Court in Duterte vs the House of Representatives. That is controlling, and that is the law of the land. Yet here your honor, today the prosecution is requesting for documents spanning almost two decades, almost 20 years, dating as far back as 2007,” he further said. Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again. Your subscription has been successful. Poa, however, argued that Duterte was not yet an impeachable officer during the period covered by the prosecutors’ request. (With a report from April Benjamin) /dp