Vice President Sara Duterte will not personally appear before the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) over allegations made by Rodulfo Gracioso Jr., her lawyer said Thursday.

Atty. Paul Lawrence Lim told DZRH News that Duterte’s camp will instead submit her affidavit to the NBI at 10 a.m. Thursday.

The camp is also expected to submit what it described as 29 “false” statements allegedly made by Gracioso, a former security aide of former House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco.

NBI Director Atty. Melvin Matibag said the bureau will review Duterte’s affidavit and the evidence her camp submits. He said the materials, including photographs, will undergo validation to determine their authenticity.

Duterte’s camp had earlier asked the NBI to reschedule her appearance, originally set for Oct. 5.

The NBI’s invitation stemmed from Gracioso’s allegations that he delivered more than 2 billion pesos in cash to Duterte, 1 billion pesos to former President Rodrigo Duterte and 100 million pesos to Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo Duterte.

Gracioso alleged that the cash deliveries began in 2018 and were made on the instructions of Velasco and his wife, Rowena.

The Velasco couple, who remain abroad, were also previously invited by the NBI to participate in the fact-finding investigation. Their camp has denied Gracioso’s allegations.

(News update via RH Jecelle Ricafort)