ICYMI: Sara Duterte impeachment trial Week 7 highlights

MANILA, Philippines – The seventh week of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial focused heavily on the testimony of Gina Acosta, the former Office of the Vice President special disbursing officer who became the prosecution’s first hostile witness.

Acosta testified that she withdrew P125 million in confidential funds from LandBank and, following Duterte’s instruction, turned the money over to Col. Raymund Lachica, the Vice President’s security chief. The testimony was highlighted by the prosecution as a key piece of evidence in its allegation of misuse of confidential funds or Article 1 of the Impeachment Articles.

READ: ICYMI: Sara Duterte impeachment trial Week 6 highlights

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Key developments:

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• Senator-judge Erwin Tulfo confronted hostile witness Gina Acosta over her apparent difficulty speaking Filipino, citing a congressional transcript he said showed her speaking it fluently at an earlier House hearing.
• Acosta, declared a hostile witness after confirming she would lose her OVP post if Duterte were convicted, corroborated earlier testimony that four traveling bags were used to carry P125 million in confidential funds from LandBank. 
• The prosecution presented AI-generated images of P125 million in cash to help illustrate how the funds could have been transported, but the defense objected that the simulation does not guarantee accuracy.
• Tuesday’s Day 17 hearing was canceled due to a forecast of heavy rains and flooding, with the court’s spokesperson confirming virtual proceedings are not allowed under impeachment rules. 
• Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. publicly called on Duterte to appear before the court herself rather than let staff members address confidential fund allegations on her behalf. 

• The Senate impeachment court allowed the prosecution to ask leading questions after Acosta was declared a hostile witness.
• Acosta testified that Duterte instructed her to hand over the P125 million in confidential funds to Lachica, saying she encashed the check at the Landbank Shaw Boulevard on Dec. 20, 2022, and turned them over to Lachica.
• Acosta confirmed that four oblong-shaped traveling bags were used to transport the P125 million.
• Outside the court, Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon said the witness’ testimony was one of the prosecution’s strongest pieces of evidence because she directly identified Duterte as the person who instructed her to give the P125 million to Lachica.
• Ridon said the prosecution was considering presenting Lachica as another hostile witness, while stressing that the key issue was determining when the alleged misuse of the confidential funds began./dp

READ: ICYMI: Sara Duterte impeachment trial Week 5 highlights

Editor’s note: This update was generated with the aid of artificial intelligence based on Inquirer.net, Philippine Daily Inquirer and Cebu Daily News articles and reviewed by a human editor.