Akbayan Party-list Representative Chel Diokno clarified on Saturday that his previous exchange with Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano regarding the subpoena of Vice President Sara Duterte’s bank records was taken out of context in a video shared online by Senator Pia Cayetano.
Addressing the clip published by the senator, Diokno issued a statement on July 25 to provide full context on why the prosecution requested the financial documents during the Senate impeachment trial.
“With all due respect to the Senator-Judge at para hindi maligaw ang publiko, ito po ang konteksto at kumpleto na sinabi ko…,” Diokno said.
He explained that a “fishing expedition” only occurs when evidence is sought blindly without any underlying basis.
Diokno stressed that the prosecution’s request was grounded in “probable cause,” citing Anti-Money Laundering Council reports that allegedly detail billions of pesos passing through accounts tied to the Vice President and her husband.
“Linawin ko po: Hindi tayo nagbabakasakali lang,” Diokno said.
He added that the bank records were requested specifically to cross-check and verify whether they align with the financial intelligence reports on hand.
Furthermore, Diokno highlighted that bank records can only be obtained via a court order or subpoena, noting that obtaining them prior would have violated the Vice President’s due process and rights.
“Ngayong may subpoena na para sa bank records ng Bise Presidente, magagamit ito ng magkabilang panig para patunayan ang kanilang kaso,” he said.
Diokno emphasized that laying out the full scope of evidence allows the senator-judges to deliver a fair verdict based on the complete merits of the case.
The statement comes as both the prosecution and defense continue to debate evidentiary and procedural issues before the Senate impeachment court.