The Senate impeachment court has set the pre-trial conference in the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Zimmerman Duterte on June 18, moving the proceedings closer to the formal presentation of evidence and witnesses.
The conference will be held at 9 a.m. at the Sen. C.M. Recto Room in the Senate, according to a Notice of Pre-Trial Conference issued on June 9.
The parties were directed to appear personally or through counsel to address key matters before trial, including the stipulation of facts, simplification of issues, marking of documentary and real evidence, identification of witnesses, setting of trial dates, and the proposed sequence for presenting evidence.
The impeachment court also ordered both sides to submit their pre-trial briefs no later than June 15.
The briefs must contain a summary of admitted facts, proposed stipulations, issues for resolution, and a list of documents, exhibits, and witnesses that are presently known and reasonably available to each party.
Parties that intend to reserve additional evidence or witnesses must disclose the identities of the witnesses or describe the documentary or object evidence at least three days before these are presented before the impeachment court. They must also state the purpose for presenting them.
For security and safety reasons, the court will allow the identities and details of certain witnesses to be withheld until their actual presentation, provided they are counted in the total number of witnesses disclosed and assigned corresponding trial dates.
The pre-trial conference will not be open to the media or the public to encourage candid discussions and facilitate the objectives of the proceedings.
“The Pre-Trial Conference proceedings shall not be open to the media or public,” the notice stated.
The impeachment court also warned that failure to file a pre-trial brief on time or failure to appear at the conference without a valid and legally justifiable reason may result in the waiver of the right to present specific evidence or witnesses.
If a party fails to comply with the requirements, the court may proceed with the formulation of the pre-trial order based only on available records.
The June 18 conference is expected to define the framework of the trial by identifying points of agreement and dispute, organizing evidence, and setting the timetable for the proceedings.