The House prosecution panel on Friday expressed confidence that the Senate impeachment court will admit the subpoenaed financial documents of Vice President Sara Duterte as evidence once the proceedings reach the article of impeachment concerning her alleged unexplained wealth.
During a press briefing on July 31, Private House Prosecutor Atty. Benjamin Tolosa Jr. explained that the submission of the financial records is only the first step in the evidentiary process, following the impeachment court's issuance of subpoenas.
According to Tolosa, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has already complied with the subpoena, while several banks have also submitted bank records believed to belong to Vice President Duterte and her husband.
“Ang tamang proseso dito... ang naunang-una ay ang pagsu-subpoena ng mga napakaimportanteng financial documents na ito. Kahapon, merong sumunod sa subpoena. Nakita natin nag-submit na ang BIR at may ilan ding banks na nakita na nag-submit ng mga bank records ng bie presidente at we assume ng kanya-asawa,” Tolosa said.
He said the prosecution will formally present witnesses who will identify and authenticate the financial documents before offering them as evidence to the impeachment court.
“Pag nandun na tayo tatalakay na natin ang article on unexplained wealth, magpe-presenta kami ng mga witnesses who will identify these financial documents. At pagkatapos noon we will formally offer them in evidence. So 'yan ang parte kung saan hihingi na namin sa Korte na tanggapin itong mga dokumento bilang ebidensya,” he added.
Tolosa emphasized that while the prosecution believes it has strong legal grounds for the admission of the records, the final decision rests solely with the Senate impeachment court.
“Naniniwala kami na malakas ang legal basis namin para makumbinsi ang impeachment court na tanggapin ang mga ebidensya, although of course we don't want to preempt the decision that the impeachment court will reach on this matter dahil at the end of the day... sila ang magpapasya dito,” he said.
The prosecutor cited the legal arguments earlier presented by House prosecutor and Rep. Chel Diokno, saying the Constitution grants the impeachment court the sole authority to hear and try impeachment cases, including the power to issue subpoenas.
Tolosa also noted that existing laws governing confidential financial records allow their use in judicial proceedings such as impeachment trials.
“Pinapayagan 'yan ng Constitution under the authority and power granted by the Constitution to the Impeachment Court... Kasama dito 'yung subpoena power nila. So may kapangyarihan ang Impeachment Court na i-subpoena itong mga dokumento na ito. Pati 'yung mga laws governing this kind of financial documents, they allow the use of these documents in court proceedings like this. So... may tiwala kami na matatanggap itong mga ito,” Tolosa said.
The impeachment court has yet to rule on whether the subpoenaed tax, bank, and other financial records will be formally admitted as evidence in the trial.
