Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV has voluntarily withdrawn from the list of prosecution witnesses in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, according to House lead prosecutor Gerville Luistro.
Speaking to reporters after the proceedings, Luistro said the decision followed a lengthy discussion within the prosecution team on whether Trillanes would still be needed to testify on Article II of the impeachment case, which concerns alleged unexplained wealth.
“Kanina lang talaga na-finalize. So perhaps if indeed na-surprise sila, they were surprised na may final decision na. But there has been a long discussion already whether to present or not to present considering the number of witnesses still remaining and the voluminous records we need to present in support of unexplained wealth,” Luistro said.
According to Luistro, the prosecution had been assessing whether to call Trillanes to the witness stand given the number of other witnesses and documents still to be presented in relation to the allegation.
She said Trillanes’ withdrawal was finalized before the prosecution proceeds with testimonies from representatives of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).
Trillanes also indicated in a social media post that he would no longer testify, citing the need to avoid placing additional pressure on the prosecution. He is expected to hold a press conference to explain his decision and what he referred to as the pressure surrounding his testimony.
The prosecution is continuing to present witnesses and documentary evidence related to the unexplained wealth allegations against Duterte.
