The Senate impeachment court on Monday granted BDO Unibank and Security Bank an additional 10 banking days to comply with subpoenas requiring the submission of bank records related to Vice President Sara Duterte.
Presiding Officer Sen. Francis Escudero said BDO sought more time to “retrieve, compile, produce, and submit” documents, including account transactions, ledgers, journals and other banking records.
The records are expected to form part of the evidence under Article II of the impeachment complaint, which pertains to allegations of unexplained wealth against Duterte.
Security Bank likewise requested an extension, citing the volume of documents that still needed to be printed.
“Security Bank manifested that due to the volume, it was unable to complete the printing of documents pertaining to two of the 20 entities, namely GenCorp Industries, and Calia 888 Foods Corporation,” Escudero said.
“In view of the foregoing, the Court resolves to note and granted the request of BDO for an additional 10 banking days or until August 13 to submit documents which they were not able to submit on time. To submit the additional documents required by the subpoena, likewise BDO is directed to submit four additional USB flash drives containing the electronic copies of the subpoenaed documents which were submitted on July 30,” he added.
Security Bank was likewise ordered to submit to the Clerk of Court three certified true copies and five USB flash drives containing the complete electronic records related to GenCorp Industries and Calia 888 Foods Corporation.
Escudero also informed the senator-judges that the Clerk of Court had received documents from the Bureau of Internal Revenue after Commissioner Charlito Mendoza submitted a presidential authorization allowing their release.
The authorization was required under Section 71 in relation to Section 270 of the National Internal Revenue Code and was submitted in compliance with the court’s directive.
Escudero said copies of Duterte’s tax records would be provided to all parties once the submission is complete.
He said the parties would be given an equal opportunity to review, photocopy, and study the documents because the matter involves the final article to be taken up by the impeachment court.
Escudero adjourned the trial until 10 a.m. Tuesday.