Impeachment Vote Threshold: SC Review Possible Only After Conviction, Says Prosecutor

MANILA, Philippines — The new impeachment trial voting threshold of 14 can only be challenged in the Supreme Court if the senator-judges actually convict Vice President Sara Duterte, House prosecutor Chel Diokno said on Wednesday. Diokno stated that position after Senator-Judge Alan Peter Cayetano asked whether the Senate impeachment court or the SC should settle the issue. He explained that the SC can only review such a challenge if there is a final decision from the impeachment court. “We have to wait for the final decision of the impeachment court,” Diokno said. He added that the SC could not intervene in the impeachment proceedings unless the impeachment court had already made a final decision. “The SC will not intervene until the impeachment court has made its final decision,” Diokno said. Meanwhile, Senator-Judge Francis Tolentino said the impeachment court has the final say on the rules of impeachment. “The impeachment court has the final say on the rules of impeachment,” Tolentino said. He explained that the impeachment court is a co-equal body with the SC. “The impeachment court is a co-equal body with the SC,” Tolentino said. He added that the impeachment court can promulgate its own rules. “The impeachment court can promulgate its own rules,” Tolentino said. Information Source: Inquirer NewsInfo