The defense team of Vice President Sara Duterte argued on July 15 that a prosecution request to subpoena her bank, tax and financial records would violate her rights and the law.
Defense counsel Michael Poa told the Senate impeachment court that impeachment is a tool for accountability but cannot override due process or confidentiality laws such as the Anti-Money Laundering Act. He described the subpoena request as a potential fishing expedition.
Prosecution lawyer Chel Diokno countered that the court has the power to seek the truth in impeachment cases and cited Supreme Court precedent allowing bank secrecy waivers in such proceedings. The court is scheduled to rule on the request on Monday, July 20.
Separately, the prosecution announced it had dropped several witnesses, including Duterte’s chief of staff Zuleika Lopez, and limited further statements on witness withdrawals to actual withdrawals only.
