Sara Duterte camp opposes bid for private prosecutors to question witnesses in impeachment trial

MANILA, Philippines – The camp of Vice President Sara Duterte is opposing the prosecution panel’s bid for their private lawyers to also be allowed to question witnesses in her impeachment trial. The objection is contained in its comment to the prosecution’s June 24 manifestation filed with the impeachment court, a copy of which was obtained by Rappler from a highly credible source. “This is not the first time that the House of Representatives campaigned for the impeachment of the respondent. It is thus presumed that it is more than ready to take charge of its own case without relying on the private prosecutors, especially given the many pronouncements in their media interviews, that the public prosecutors are confident about their case,” the defense team said in its filing on Friday, June 26. “The defense submits that only one counsel from each party should be allowed to speak during the examination of witnesses and that it must be the public prosecutors who should take the lead in the examination of their own witnesses, especially since the public prosecutors had taken pains to announce before the media their lead prosecutor, and their assisting private prosecutors,” it added. The defense team also argued that allowing two prosecutors on each side would confuse witnesses and “increase likelihood of inconsistent and confusing answers.” “Allowing several counsels to conduct witness examination sets the stage for a chaotic proceeding, overlapping objections, arguments, and interruptions between both parties. Consequently, the honorable impeachment court will be unduly burdened with the task of regulating the order and flow of the witness examination, shifting the focus away from more important matters such as the substance of the testimony,” Duterte’s lawyers said. “To preserve the orderly conduct of the proceedings, the examination of a witness should be limited to one anchor on each side, with all other prosecutors and counsels strictly confined to an assisting role,” they added. The development comes as the House of Representatives beefs up its litigation bench, adding four more private prosecutors to its lineup on Monday, June 29, bringing the total to 15. House lawmakers, who have limited recent courtroom exposure, are expected to face a defense team composed of highly experienced litigators. In a press conference on Monday, the public prosecution team expressed confidence that the court will grant their request to allow private prosecutors to participate in the examination of witnesses. “That’s how trials normally work, even in the regular courts. There is also precedent from the impeachment trials of former president Erap Estrada and former chief justice Renato Corona, where private prosecutors were allowed to present witnesses… as long as it was under the control and supervision of the public prosecutors,” public prosecutor Leila de Lima said. The prosecution panel listed 57 witnesses, while the defense named more than 90. – Rappler.com