Kapunan: Were VP Duterte’s earlier bank balances declared?

MANILA, Philippines — Bank balances in Vice President Sara Duterte’s accounts that were later withdrawn would not show whether she correctly declared the money she allegedly held in previous years, private prosecutor Lorna Kapunan said on Tuesday in an interview on ANC’s “Headstart.”

Kapunan challenged a hypothetical defense explanation that money could have passed through an account but was no longer there when the year-end asset declaration was prepared.

“Did she declare it the year before?” Kapunan asked.

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She pointed to the prosecution’s explanation about why balances had gone undeclared in earlier years.

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READ: Unexplained wealth of VP may hit P1.5 billion, says analyst

Kapunan pointed out that the concern was what appeared in the vice president’s annual declarations, rather than establishing that any particular account had actually reached zero.

She also questioned whether Duterte had attempted to correct the omissions alleged in her statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth. She said the prosecution had heard of no such effort.

“There is none. We have never heard of any attempt,” she said.

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Asked about claims that Duterte probably did not know what was happening in family accounts, Kapunan noted that Duterte and her husband, Manases Carpio, are both lawyers, saying, “You know or ought to know.”

She linked that argument to the vice president’s fitness for office, questioning how a claimed lack of knowledge about family finances squared with responsibility for national affairs.

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“If she cannot, if she is not knowledgeable about her father’s account, her husband’s account, how can she be cognizant of what’s happening to the nation?” she asked.

The second impeachment article covers Duterte’s alleged unexplained wealth, SALN violations, and prohibited business interests.

Forensic financial analyst Alexander Cabrera compared the couple’s asset declarations with bank, tax, insurance, and corporate records.

READ: VPs ₱817.87-M wealth review covers assets, income, 3 firms

Under the court’s schedule set on Oct. 14, prosecutors must file their formal offer of evidence by Oct. 23. The defense has 10 days from receipt to comment, with its evidence presentation scheduled to begin on Nov. 9.

Asked about Duterte’s opinion poll standing, Kapunan said public understanding of the case was the prosecution’s concern.

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“We’re not concerned about popularity. We’re concerned that the people know,” she said. /atm