Prosecutors drop bribery charge in Philippine VP impeachment trial

Prosecutors have already presented evidence and witnesses in support of the assassination threat and misuse of funds charges.(AFP) — Prosecutors said Friday they are dropping a bribery charge against Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte, who still faces three other charges in her ongoing impeachment trial that could lead to her removal from office.Duterte, 48, is also charged with misuse of state funds, unexplained wealth and an alleged assassination threat against her former ally, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.If the Senate finds her guilty on any of the charges, she will be stripped of the vice presidency and permanently barred from elected office, ending her bid to become president in 2028.Prosecutors from the House of Representatives, which voted to impeach Duterte in May, said the decision to drop the bribery charge would speed up the trial, which reached its 37th day Friday.“We think we have presented enough (evidence). To drag it further might be stretching the patience not only of the people but also the senator-judges,” Rep. Jonathan Keith Flores, a prosecutor, told reporters.Prosecutors have already presented evidence and witnesses in support of the assassination threat and misuse of funds charges.On Friday, prosecutor Jose Manuel Diokno told the court they had presented their last witness in the unexplained wealth case. That witness will be cross-examined Monday.The Senate had originally given prosecutors 60 trial days to present their case, after which Duterte will present her own witnesses and evidence.Last month, in a ruling widely seen as a blow to Duterte, the 24-seat Senate lowered the number of votes needed to find her guilty, potentially making it easier to remove her from office.With at least four senators loyal to the vice president now absent from the trial — two in jail, another in hiding and a fourth on extended medical leave abroad — only 14 votes are needed to find her guilty.Senators voted that the constitutional requirement for a guilty verdict from two-thirds of “all members of the Senate” referred only to those “capable of participating.”Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads