Prosecution withdraws 3 impeachment articles vs Sara Duterte
The prosecution announced it's withdrawing three impeachment articles against Vice President Sara Duterte.
On Tuesday, Oct. 13, lead House prosecutor Gerville Luistro formally manifested their decision to drop Article I (confidential funds), Article III (bribery), and Article IV (threats) to focus on Article II, which covers Duterte's alleged unexplained wealth and bank transactions.
"Why [is] one article enough? The prosecution believes it has presented sufficient evidence for Article II to stand on its own. All in po tayo dito," she said. "We believe that evidence is substantial and compelling, and warrants the respondent's removal from office for culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust."
"Article II, the article on unexplained wealth, covers three matters: One, unexplained wealth. Two, violations of the SALN. And three, prohibited business interest. We believe we have provided sufficient evidence on all these allegations," Luistro added.
"In the prosecution's assessment, concentrating on this article is the most judicious course consistent with the evidence and our duty to the nation," she said.
Lead defense counsel Sheila Sison, for their part, argued that the prosecution "cannot make decisions for the respondent and the defense."
"In other words, the prosecution cannot be allowed to have the benefit of its accusations without bearing the burden of having those accusations tested," she pointed out. "And the court has already heard the prosecution’s alleged evidence and the interpretation it laid on them, and the public has been already exposed to its allegations, repeatedly, to long interjections, interpolations, direct examinations, and the many conclusions and opinions that several of their witnesses have given before this honorable court. Therefore, the accusations have already entered the consciousness of those who must ultimately render judgment."
"We feel and believe that this is not fairness and it is not in keeping with the guarantees of due process because the right to be heard is not merely satisfied by allowing the respondent some room to present evidence on her behalf," Sison said.
"If the withdrawal is intended to shorten the proceedings of this case, so the court may immediately proceed to judgment, then we believe that the resulting process would bear the unmistakeable characteristics of a mistrial," she continued.
This comes a few days after the prosecution announced it will no longer pursue its bribery case against the VP or Article III, which alleges she bribed Department of Education officials to bend procurement procedures during her stint as Education Secretary.
The impeachment trial is on its 39th day.
This is a developing story.
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