Sara Duterte trial: Prosecution argues senators unable to participate should not vote

Public prosecutor Chel Diokno says that by lowering the denominator in calculating the conviction threshold, both the prosecution and the defense will be impacted

MANILA, Philippines – The prosecution team insists that senators who are unable to participate in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte should not be allowed to vote.

“Each of them cannot hear the evidence, deliberate, and vote. Their inability to vote is beyond dispute, yet if the denominator is fixed at 24, conviction would always require 16 votes. This is absurd,” prosecutor Chel Diokno argued on Wednesday, September 23. “That would be tantamount to an acquittal by default.”

Diokno added that by lowering the denominator, both the prosecution and the defense will be impacted, because a lower number will be needed to either convict or acquit the Vice President.