Prosecution prepares to present unexplained wealth charges vs Duterte

MANILA, Philippines — The prosecution panel is now preparing for the possible presentation of evidence for its unexplained wealth allegations against Vice President Sara Duterte.

This phase means it will start calling witnesses and showing proof, should there be changes to the schedule, Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon said on Thursday.

Ridon said in a press briefing that he is aware of the possibility that the team will be called by mid-September to present its case, should the prosecution panel decide to drop Article III or the bribery case.

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The lawmaker is a public prosecutor and prosecution team leader for Article II of the Articles of Impeachment.

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Article II deals with allegations that Duterte and her husband Manases Carpio had unexplained wealth which were not declared on her Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN).

Article III focuses on allegations that the vice president bribed several officials of the Department of Education.

“The team tasked to present the unexplained wealth case is preparing for the entry of our article,” Ridon told reporters at the Batasang Pambansa.

“And we also acknowledge that there are conversations as to no longer presenting bribery accusations and moving straight to the unexplained wealth article. We will decide (on) it in due time,” he noted.

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“But as far as the unexplained wealth team is concerned, we are preparing so that by the middle of September or towards the end of the month, we can lay down evidence before the Senate Impeachment Court,” he added.

The prosecution also confirmed that its members have received copies of the bank and tax records of the Duterte-Carpio couple and their business interests.

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These materials will be studied by the team to see if these items can be presented in the impeachment trial.

“Yesterday afternoon, the prosecution was given a copy of all the bank information of our vice president, her husband and their companies,” Ridon said.

“The Senate Impeachment Court also gave the prosecution panel a copy of all the tax documents of the vice president, her husband and their companies,” he noted.

“So, in the coming days, we will study and scrutinize all these documents, as this will constitute the last important pillar of the evidence that we will use to prove the allegations under the unexplained wealth article,” the legislator said.

It was Ridon who focused on the alleged issues with Duterte’s SALN when the House committee on justice tackled the two impeachment complaints against the vice president.

Ridon said last April that there was an increase in the vice president’s net worth that is not proportionate to her salary, noting that her net worth rose by over 1,000 percent from 2008 to 2024.

He explained that Duterte’s SALN in 2008 showed a net worth of P18.4 million, while her net worth in her 2023 SALN grew to P77.5 million and P88.5 million for 2024 — representing a 378 percent increase from 2008 to 2024.

However, the lawmaker noted that if figures were based on Duterte’s 2007 SALN — the first year that she became a public official — the jump from a net worth of P7.2 million to 2024’s P88.5 million represents a 1,120 percent spike.

READ: Docs show VP Duterte’s net worth rose over 1,000% – Ridon 

Aside from the SALN issue, Ridon also previously pointed out before the confirmation from Anti-Money Laundering Council  Executive Director Buenaventura.

Buenaventura affirmed that they saw covered and suspicious transactions made by Duterte and Carpio, and a total of P6.7 billion in total transactions from bank accounts from the couple.

This includes a total of P4.4 billion in inflows and P1.5 billion worth of outflows.

READ: AMLC confirms suspicious transactions made by Sara Duterte, kin 

Meanwhile, several members of the prosecution confirmed that they are mulling whether they will drop Article III or the bribery allegations due to time constraints.

On Wednesday, Manila Rep. Joel Chua confirmed in an ambush interview that the prosecution panel is considering to refrain from presenting Article III.

READ: House prosecution panel mulls dropping bribery case vs Sara Duterte 

In a press briefing later that day, Chua clarified that the bribery allegations against Duterte remain strong.

He noted that the only reason why the prosecution panel has considered this article as expendable is due to priorities and a yearning to expedite the trial.

READ: Chua: Bribery case vs Sara Duterte remains strong

Chua explained that if they push through with the withdrawal of Article III, this will be similar to what the prosecution panel did for the impeachment trial of former Chief Justice Renato Corona.

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However, he also stressed that this is not a new matter, reminding the public that the group had said before that if the prosecution is satisfied with the evidence and testimonies at hand, it will let go of one article. /apl