The House prosecution panel expressed optimism that the Senate impeachment court will approve its appeal to subpoena the banking and financial histories of Vice President Sara Duterte.
Atty. Benjamin Tolosa, the legal spokesperson and private prosecutor for the House panel, shared during a radio interview on Sunday that they remain confident the motion will be approved.
“Nananalig ho kami na mapagbibigyan ‘yan dahil malakas naman ho ang basehan ng aming request para ipa-subpoena ang mga dokumento na ito,” Tolosa said.
Tolosa explained that the nation’s bank secrecy laws explicitly exempt impeachment proceedings, thereby empowering the Senate court to enforce the production of financial papers through its constitutional mandate.
“Impeachment is an exception ho doon sa… bank secrecy laws. Maliwanag ho yan, specified, kapag impeachment proceedings, pwede ho talaga yan,” he said.
Furthermore, Tolosa noted that data gathered by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) is not completely restricted, as the bureau is permitted to exchange details with overseas counterparts given specific parameters.
“Malakas ho ‘yung basehan namin sa batas at sa jurisprudence at pati doon sa lumipas na impeachment proceedings doon sa kay late Chief Justice (Renato) Corona, pinayagan din ho yan,” Tolosa said.
“Actually hindi ho namin tinitignan ‘yun (hindi pagbibigyan) dahil malakas ang kumpyansa namin na dapat hon makita ito,” he added.
According to the prosecutor, securing these files will allow the court and the citizenry to cross-reference Duterte’s actual banking transactions with the holdings she declared in her Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs).
Tolosa highlighted a massive discrepancy between the Vice President’s reported 2024 net worth of ₱88.5 million and AMLC disclosures pointing to ₱6.7 billion in supposedly flagged and suspicious transactions tied to accounts held by Duterte and her spouse, Atty. Mans Carpio.
“Napakalayo ng disparity. So para makita talaga natin ang eksaktong numero diyan ay kailangan na buksan ho natin tong accounts na to,” Tolosa said.
He clarified that their arguments under Article II of the impeachment complaint do not rest entirely on the bank files, emphasizing that the team holds other documents and witness testimonies to back their allegations of unexplained wealth.
“Hindi naman ho nakasalalay sa isang ebidensya lamang ang ating articles of impeachment… pero ganun pa man, talaga hong ipaglalaban namin na maiprisenta itong mga dokumento na ‘to,” he added.
The Senate impeachment court is set to continue its evaluation regarding the prosecution’s request for subpoenas over Duterte’s financial records on Monday, July 20.