Sara Duterte's defense team lists law professor as its first witness

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The defense team for Vice President Sara Duterte has listed law professor Dean Ralph Sarmiento as its first witness in the unexplained wealth charges against her.

On Wednesday, Duterte’s defense team filed the request for a subpoena at the Senate impeachment court. Sarmiento is expected to take the witness stand on November 9.

“It is thus respectfully requested that this Honorable Court issue a Subpoena Ad Testificandum and Duces Tecum for said witness to appear, give testimony, and bring his Curriculum Vitae and other documents relevant to his qualifications and testimony, on said date. Dean Sarmiento will testify on legal and constitutional principles relevant to this impeachment case and on Article II,” the defense’s manifestation read.

According to the defense’s manifestation, the identities of the other witnesses to be presented will be disclosed five days before their intended hearing schedules on November 10, 11, 12, 13, 19, 20 and 23, as per the requirement of the court.

Sarmiento is a law professor of Political and Constitutional Law at the University of St. La Salle College of Law.

He is also the former Vice Chancellor for Administration at the University of St. La Salle.

Sarmiento also has a significant following online, with over 318,000 followers on Facebook.

He has previously called for fairness during Duterte's trial following the prosecution's decision to drop three out of the four charges against her. Sarmiento said that while it was important to hold Duterte accountable, there also needed to be fairness. —LDF, GMA News