House prosecutor and Manila Rep. Joel Chua drew a comparison between the 2012 impeachment conviction of former Chief Justice Renato Corona over undisclosed assets and the unexplained wealth allegations facing Vice President Sara Z. Duterte, which a prosecution expert estimated could reach P1.5 billion.
Chua pointed out that Corona was ousted from his position over undisclosed bank deposits involving a significantly smaller sum, questioning how Duterte’s defense team plans to account for the financial discrepancies presented during her Senate impeachment trial.
“In comparison doon kay former Chief Justice Renato Corona, ang napatunayan lamang po doon is more or less mga 100 million [pesos] and yet na-convict po siya, with sinasabi nga po ng ating forensic expert na it would go as high as 1.5 billion [pesos],” Chua said during the Saturday News Forum.
Corona was convicted by the Senate impeachment court on May 29, 2012, in a 20-3 vote after failing to declare his full assets in his Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs). During his trial, Corona admitted to holding roughly $2.4 million and P80 million in bank accounts that were omitted from his SALNs.
In the ongoing proceedings against Duterte, prosecution forensic expert Alexander Cabrera testified that an examination of available financial records uncovered approximately P817.87 million in allegedly unexplained wealth tied to the Vice President and her husband, lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio, between 2022 and 2025.
Under questioning by impeachment court Presiding Officer Francis “Chiz” Escudero on Oct. 12, Cabrera noted that the figure could swell to roughly P1.5 billion under less conservative analytical assumptions.
The higher projection accounted for potential additional variances in financial transactions and corporate earnings that were excluded from Cabrera’s primary calculation.
Duterte’s legal counsel has contested Cabrera’s conclusions, specifically challenging his interpretation of corporate earnings and their assignment to Duterte and Carpio.
Chua also cast doubt on assertions that a portion of the Vice President’s assets were acquired as gifts.
“Kung ito’y regalo, unang-una, bawal ang regalo sa mga public officer, ’di po ba? Maliwanag rin po ’yan,” Chua said.
“Kung galing naman po ito sa magulang niya, siyempre dapat patunayan nila na nagbayad sila ng mga buwis, ’di ba?” Chua added.
Under Republic Act No. 6713, public officers are barred from receiving gifts associated with their official responsibilities or transactions governed by their office, though legitimate gifts from family members are not prohibited by the statute.
Chua stated that Duterte’s defense team will have the opportunity to clarify the questioned transactions and assets when it presents its case.
“So tingnan na lang po natin kung ano ang kanilang magiging diskarte,” Chua also said.
The Senate impeachment trial is set to reconvene on Nov. 9, focusing strictly on Article II regarding alleged unexplained wealth as the single active charge against Duterte.