Prosecutors Justify Bank Records Request in Duterte Impeachment as Pursuit of 'Unedited Truth'

Prosecutors in the impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Duterte have submitted their memorandum to the impeachment court, defending their demand for her bank and tax records. This move comes after the court's presiding officer, Chiz Escudero, instructed both the prosecution and defense to submit their written arguments before the oral arguments slated for July 15. The prosecution is requesting access to Duterte's bank records, Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) records, and Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) records. The prosecution contends that these documents, many of which predate her vice presidency, are relevant as they "do not merely target completed historical acts, but rather an active, in-term violation of anti-graft laws and accountability." "By continuously retaining, enjoying, and failing to truthfully disclose these hidden assets in her current SALN submissions as vice president, the respondent is actively committing a live, ongoing breach of public trust during her tenure," the prosecution argued. They also aimed to weaken the defense's reliance on the 2025 Supreme Court ruling that deemed her prior impeachment by the House unconstitutional. Addressing various laws that could potentially obstruct the disclosure of financial records, the prosecution argued that the Bank Secrecy Law, the Anti-Money Laundering Act, the National Internal Revenue Code, and the Data Privacy Act do not prevent the impeachment court from compelling the production of relevant records through lawful process. They asserted that these laws recognize exceptions or do not create absolute prohibitions against disclosure when authorized by law or a constitutionally established tribunal. The prosecution further argued that the 1987 Constitution designates the Senate, not the judiciary, to try impeached officials, highlighting that it is "not an ordinary lawsuit" but the "highest mechanism of public accountability." They maintained that their subpoena requests satisfy the requirements under the Rules of Court, emphasizing that a subpoena duces tecum does not necessitate a prior showing that the documents will conclusively establish allegations. The core inquiries are relevance and materiality to the tribunal's issues. Quoting Escudero's opening day speech, the prosecution invoked the need for rules to be "construed liberally" so that Filipinos "may hear the whole and impartial truth." The document concluded by stressing the importance of "the whole truth. Not the convenient truth. Not the edited truth. Not the portion that survives procedural reluctance. But the whole truth."