Prosecution moves up presentation of unexplained wealth case vs Sara Duterte

MANILA, Philippines – The article of impeachment concerning Vice President Sara Duterte‘s unexplained wealth will be presented earlier than scheduled. Lead prosecutor Jinky Luistro told the impeachment court on Monday, September 7, that Article II will be presented after the prosecution wraps up its case on Duterte’s alleged misuse of confidential funds by September 9. “The prosecution has the discretion to change the order, considering the availability of witnesses and other relevant considerations,” Luistro said in a subsequent press conference. “Because of the evidence unnecessary between unexplained wealth and bribery, we find it more prudent to advance unexplained wealth and we will finish with bribery,” she added. The House impeachment hearings shone a spotlight on supposed inconsistencies between the Vice President’s large bank transactions and her net worth declarations. The Anti-Money Laundering Council had said that according to the banks, the accounts named under VP Duterte and her husband Mans Carpio were the subject of covered transaction reports and suspicious transaction reports amounting to P6.77 billion from 2006 to 2025. Duterte’s legal team questioned the presentation of the AMLC numbers, saying an aggregate of inflows and outflows over two decades would naturally yield a bloated number. Despite the billions of pesos in bank transactions over the years, Duterte’s net worth averaged P42 million in 15 years, peaking at P88 million in 2024. What’s more notable is that she made zero cash and cash declaration deposits from 2019 to 2024, and modest cash on hand and cash in bank declarations during years she was in elective office between 2007 and 2018. The prosecution listed 15 potential witnesses for the unexplained wealth case, including Ombudsman Boying Remulla, Securities and Exchange Commission director Gerardo del Rosario, AMLC Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura, financial and forensic analysts, bank representatives, and former senator Antonio Trillanes IV, who made previous exposés against the Dutertes’ bank accounts. Luistro said, however, that her team will not drop the bribery case against the Vice President, seeking to end the prosecution’s presentation with that article of impeachment. – Rappler.com