The House prosecution panel on Friday said it is still considering whether to change the order of presenting evidence in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, including the possibility of taking up the article on alleged unexplained wealth immediately after the confidential funds charge.
During a press briefing on July 31, Private House Prosecutor Atty. Benjamin Tolosa Jr. said the prosecution has the discretion to alter the sequence of impeachment articles, as provided under the impeachment court's pre-trial order, provided that both the Senate impeachment court and the defense panel are informed of the change.
“That option remains available to the prosecution, kasi nakalagay naman nang maliwanag doon sa pre-trial order issued by the impeachment court na we have the discretion to change the order of presentation of evidence as to alin bang article ang uunahin natin. All we have to do is inform the impeachment court and the defense about this decision,” Tolosa said.
The question was raised after reports that the subpoenaed tax and bank records could serve as key evidence for both the article on the alleged misuse of confidential funds and the article on alleged unexplained wealth.
Despite the option to reorder the presentation, Tolosa said the prosecution remains focused on presenting evidence related to the confidential funds allegations.
“Sa ngayon, naka-focus muna kami sa paglalatag ng ebidensya, suporta dito sa article on confidential funds,” he said.
Tolosa also noted that the prosecution has yet to thoroughly examine the large volume of financial records recently submitted by banks in compliance with subpoenas issued by the impeachment court.
“Parating pa lang din itong dokumento na nakita naman natin kahapon, boxes and boxes of bank records na isinumite nitong mga banks na sinubpoena ng impeachment court. So siyempre aaralin pa rin natin 'yan. Gugugol tayo ng oras at panahon para mailatag natin nang mabuti in a way na madaling maintindihan. Hindi lang accurate but madaling maintindihan ng lahat,” he added.
While reiterating that the prosecution may still revise the order of presentation as the trial progresses, Tolosa stressed that no decision has been made at this time.
“Again, that option is available to us. We will see. We will consider that. But for now, naka-focus muna kami dito sa confidential funds,” he said.
The Senate impeachment court previously granted the prosecution flexibility in determining the sequence of presenting evidence, subject to prior notice to the court and the defense.
