Impeachment Court Ruling on Subpoena for Sara Duterte Records Stands Despite Senator's Dissent

The Senate impeachment court's ruling to issue subpoenas for the bank, Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), and relevant tax records of Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband, Manases Carpio, will not be overturned despite a senator-judge filing a written dissent, the House prosecution panel said Tuesday. "It will not change the ruling, of course. The ruling will stand," House prosecution panel spokesperson Jay Tolosa said in a press briefing. According to Tolosa, if the presiding judge makes a ruling on evidentiary matters, it can stand unless someone objects, in which case it may be put to a vote. However, a mere dissent does not overturn the ruling. The impeachment court had granted the House prosecution panel's request for a subpoena on Monday. Following this, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano announced he would file a written dissent on the ruling. Prosecutor Chel Diokno stated that under the Senate rules for impeachment, a senator-judge has the right to file a dissent if they disagree with the impeachment court's decision. He added that they also want to see the different views of the senator-judges and will look into the dissent once it is filed. Diokno also remarked that when the impeachment complaint reached the House Justice Committee, their role was to find probable cause, not to discover all evidence. He noted that the proper time to present evidence and to subpoena evidence is within the Senate, acting as the impeachment court, and denied that the current process was a "fishing expedition" or a "shortcut." National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) chief Melvin Matibag is expected to testify as the final witness in the House prosecution panel's presentation of evidence on Article IV.