Defense seeks to present evidence despite 3 dropped articles

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Defense lead counsel Sheila Sison on Tuesday said the prosecution’s decision to drop three of the four Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte would not affect the defense panel’s presentation of its own evidence.

Sison made the statement on Day 39 of the impeachment trial after House lead prosecutor and Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro manifested that the prosecution would no longer pursue Articles I, III and IV, which detail allegations of grave threats, misuse of confidential funds and bribery.

With the decision, the prosecution will pursue only Article II, which concerns allegations that Duterte failed to fully declare her assets and divest from business interests, raising questions about her unexplained wealth.

“We respect the decision of the prosecution. However, whether this will affect how the defense plans to proceed with its presentation of evidence is something that we must make clear: It will not,” Sison said.

“Because 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 added.—MCG, GMA News

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