The prosecution panel in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte said it will review and translate banking, tax, and anti-money laundering records into a format that can be easily understood by senator-judges and the public once the documents are submitted.
House of Representatives prosecution legal spokesperson and private prosecutor Benjamin “Jay” Tolosa Jr. said Tuesday that the panel will immediately examine the records ordered produced by the Senate impeachment court.
“At pagkatapos na matanggap na ng impeachment court itong mga dokumento na ito, agaran ho nating pag-aaralan at susuriin lahat ng mga ebidensiya na ito,” Tolosa said.
He said the panel intends to present the documents in a manner that will clearly explain their relevance to the impeachment complaint, particularly the allegations under Article II involving alleged unexplained wealth.
“Para masigurado natin na pag oras na para i-presenta sila bilang ebidensiya sa ating paglilitis kaugnay ng article on unexplained wealth, mapapaliwanag natin ito sa pamamaraan na madaling maintindihan hindi lang ng impeachment court pati na rin ng ating mga kababayan,” he added.
The Senate impeachment court earlier ordered concerned banks, the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to submit specified records or make the required return by July 30.
The documents will be used by the prosecution in its effort to establish its claim that Duterte accumulated unexplained wealth and failed to fully disclose her assets.
The prosecution is expected to compare Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs) with her reported income, bank transactions, and financial interests during the period covered by the subpoena.
Tolosa clarified that the records will come directly from government agencies and financial institutions that maintain the documents, not from Duterte or her defense team.
Meanwhile, Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila De Lima said the prosecution plans to present a witness who will connect and explain the different sets of financial documents once the records are produced.
De Lima said the witness will help reconcile Duterte’s SALNs, income tax returns, bank records, corporate interests, and AMLC-related documents.
“Well, there is, of course, there will be a witness who will do that, yung itutugma-tugma lahat, explain lahat,” De Lima said in a televised interview.
She said the presentation of evidence aims to help the public understand why the prosecution believes the allegations amount to betrayal of public trust.
“Para maintindihan nila kung bakit sinasabi namin na ito ay betrayal of public trust,” she said.
De Lima added that the prosecution will ensure its evidence can be understood even by those without legal or financial backgrounds.
The prosecution has maintained that impeachment proceedings focus not only on criminal liability but also on accountability and whether an official remains fit to hold public office.
The Senate impeachment court’s decision to allow the release of financial records also renewed attention on allegations raised by former senator Antonio Trillanes IV involving alleged suspicious transactions connected to members of the Duterte family and Chinese businessman Samuel Uy in 2017.
House prosecution panel adviser and spokesman Robert Ace Barbers said the subpoena only allows the legal process for obtaining records and does not establish wrongdoing.
“Any documents obtained will remain subject to evidentiary rules and judicial scrutiny before they may be considered by the court,” Barbers said.
He stressed that allegations involving Uy and the Duterte family remain disputed and that no final court ruling has established criminal liability against those named.
Trillanes previously alleged that Uy issued bank manager’s checks to former president Rodrigo Duterte and members of his family in 2017.
During previous House Committee on Justice hearings, AMLC officials confirmed the existence of transaction reports submitted by banks under the Anti-Money Laundering Act but did not publicly release complete bank statements or underlying account records.
AMLC Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura earlier testified that banks submitted 630 Covered Transaction Reports and 33 Suspicious Transaction Reports involving accounts linked to Vice President Duterte and her husband, Manases “Mans” Carpio.
The reported transactions covered about P6.77 billion from 2006 to 2025.
However, AMLC did not publicly disclose complete details of the transactions, including all dates and amounts, account numbers, copies of manager’s checks or deposit slips, and full bank statements.
The agency also did not testify that Duterte or Carpio committed money laundering or any other crime.
Barbers said the financial records obtained through the impeachment process could help establish facts that the prosecution considers relevant to its case.
The Senate impeachment court likewise clarified that the subpoenas are procedural measures to obtain evidence and should not be interpreted as a finding of guilt or liability.
Duterte has denied wrongdoing and described the impeachment proceedings as politically motivated.
The defense panel is expected to challenge any evidence it considers improperly obtained or unrelated to the impeachment case.
Photo courtesy of Inquirer.net
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