Prosecutors file formal offer of evidence in Sara Duterte trial

MANILA, Philippines — House prosecutors have submitted their formal offer of evidence to the Senate impeachment court in the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, prosecution adviser Robert Ace Barbers said on Wednesday.

Barbers said the prosecutorial panel submitted its evidence on Tuesday evening, providing the Senate with bank, tax and corporate records.

The team also filed net worth disclosure filings to support the prosecution’s case that Duterte allegedly amassed unexplained wealth and reportedly failed to truthfully disclose her net worth.

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The Senate impeachment court set an Oct. 23 deadline for the formal offer of evidence, with Duterte’s lawyers given 10 days to review the filing before mounting its defense when proceedings resume on Nov. 9.

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Barbers said the prosecution submitted its portfolio of evidence before the deadline because “that’s how prepared the panel is.”

“We just tied up some edges, some loose strings, formalized it and submitted it,” he told the Inquirer. “Why would we wait for the deadline, at the last minute?”

Prosecutors alleged that Duterte engaged in unlawful business dealings while in office and misstated her net worth. Forensic financial analyst Alexander Cabrera, a prosecution witness, testified that Duterte may have hidden at least P817 million in assets since 2022.

“It’s going to be a difficult task for the defense to be able to rebut all this information,” Barbers said. /apl