VP Duterte wealth trial may take Erap, Corona disclosure path

MANILA – The Senate impeachment court is expected to handle the disclosure of Vice President Sara Duterte’s financial information along the path taken during the impeachment trials of former president Joseph Estrada and late chief justice Renato Corona, court spokesperson Reginald Tongol said Monday.

Tongol said financial information may be disclosed insofar as it is relevant to the House prosecution panel’s legal claims under Article II, which accuses Duterte of unexplained wealth, inaccurate asset declarations and prohibited business interests.

“Ganun din yung makikita natin na tatahaking track naman ngayon dito sa impeachment ng respondent (We will likely see the same track taken in the impeachment of the respondent),” Tongol said in a televised interview.

He was responding to questions on how the court would balance the presentation of bank transactions with data privacy, bank secrecy and Anti-Money Laundering Council restrictions.

Tongol said similar financial disclosures figured in the Estrada and Corona impeachment proceedings.

During Estrada’s trial, Equitable PCI Bank executive Clarissa Ocampo testified on bank records despite not having been subpoenaed. The precedent was later cited during the Corona proceedings in discussions on permissible disclosure of bank information in impeachment cases.

In the Corona trial, the Senate impeachment court issued subpoenas covering specified bank records and later admitted banking evidence in connection with Article II involving his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN).

The current impeachment court has likewise granted subpoenas for specified bank, tax and AMLC records involving Duterte, her husband Manases Carpio and several entities, ruling that the documents were prima facie relevant and material to the unexplained wealth allegations.

More than 1,800 bank, insurance and other financial documents were subsequently marked by the prosecution and defense in preparation for Article II.

Tongol said Monday’s opening witnesses are expected to first establish the legal framework before prosecutors delve deeper into the financial records.

Retired Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang is expected to discuss standards used in determining unexplained or ill-gotten wealth and methods of concealing assets, while Office of the Ombudsman lawyer Karen Batu is expected to testify on SALN requirements and records.

Article II accuses Duterte of accumulating wealth allegedly disproportionate to her lawful income and failing to fully and accurately disclose assets, liabilities and business interests. (PNA)