THE House prosecution panel has asked the Senate impeachment court to authorize the supervised opening, inventory, and pre-marking of a sealed Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) records box linked to Vice President Sara Duterte.
The sealed package, which reportedly contains BIR documents of Duterte and her husband Atty. Mans Carpio, was earlier transmitted by the House Committee on Justice to the Senate as part of preparations for the upcoming impeachment trial scheduled to begin on July 6.
In a Manifestation with Proposal on Certain Additional Pre-Trial Matters, prosecutors said the request is intended solely to identify and catalog the contents of the box under the supervision of the impeachment court.
They emphasized that they are not asking the court to admit any document inside the sealed package as evidence at this stage.
“The proposal is one of transparency and trial management, not admissibility,” the prosecution panel said.
According to the filing, both the prosecution and defense have identified BIR-related records among their listed documentary evidence, making it necessary to determine early on what specific documents are in the custody of the court.
Prosecutors argued that a supervised inventory would help prevent disputes during trial, ensure procedural clarity, and allow both sides to adequately prepare their presentations.
They added that the exercise would not determine authenticity, relevance, or evidentiary value, which remain subject to the impeachment court’s future rulings during the formal presentation of evidence.
“Rather than interrupt trial proceedings later to determine what records are contained in the sealed package, it is more efficient to clarify these matters during pre-trial,” the filing stated.
The prosecution further noted that the BIR box is already part of the official impeachment records and is under the custody of the Senate impeachment court.
They said conducting an inventory under judicial supervision would ensure equal access to information for both parties and remove uncertainty regarding the nature and existence of the documents inside.
The request forms part of broader efforts by House prosecutors to streamline procedures and avoid delays ahead of the formal opening of the impeachment trial.