The House prosecution team is preparing its witness list for the Senate impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, with most resource persons who appeared during the House proceedings likely to be called to testify.
Prosecutors are reviewing this week the officials and experts who may be presented before the Senate impeachment court, particularly on the Articles of Impeachment involving alleged unexplained wealth, misuse of public funds, and other accusations against Duterte.
Among those being considered are representatives from the Office of the Ombudsman, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and possibly the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).
House prosecutor and Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon said resource persons who previously appeared before the House remain part of the prosecution’s options.
“Pasok pa rin po yung previous House proceedings resource persons. So Ombudsman, SEC, yun pong NBI for other cases. AMLC, masasalang din po ito,” he said in an ambush interview.
The prosecution panel is still deciding whether to present BIR officials during the trial, depending on whether the unexplained wealth allegations can already be established through existing documents and testimony.
“Ang BIR, pinagpapasyahan pa po namin kung isasalang namin sa trial. It’s the call of the panel kung sino po yung isasalang,” Ridon said.
“Kasi kung kaya na po naming mapatunayan yung unexplained wealth, for example, SALN violations, doon po sa mga listahan na meron na po kami, we can stop at that point,” he added.
The unexplained wealth charge is expected to focus heavily on financial records, statements of assets, liabilities and net worth, corporate filings, and bank-related documents raised during the House proceedings.
Prosecutors also expect AMLC reports and bank account records to play a major role once the case reaches trial.
Ridon expressed confidence that the prosecution can secure a conviction on the unexplained wealth allegation, even if BIR officials are not ultimately presented.
“I think we can secure a conviction on unexplained wealth. But presenting the BIR documents would corroborate much of what had been discussed in the AMLC reports. And yung bank accounts will be presented during the trial,” he said.
The sealed box of documents earlier submitted by the BIR may be opened only if allowed by the Senate impeachment court.
The final list of witnesses and pieces of evidence is expected to be settled during the pre-trial stage, which may take place around the middle of June.
The prosecution panel is also seeking assistance from volunteer financial experts, including accountants and auditors, to help review documents relevant to the case.
“We’re also getting volunteers, aside from the lawyers, yun pong financial experts, accountants, auditors, to look into the documents,” the party-list solonsaid.
Aside from trial preparations, the House prosecution team is planning a campus tour across the country before the Senate proceedings begin.