MANILA, Philippines — Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV is expected to bring up allegations surrounding figures like Sammy Uy when he takes the witness stand in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, House prosecution panel lead Representative Gerville Luistro stated Wednesday, September 30.
The anticipation surrounding Trillanes’ appearance builds ahead of day 32 of the trial on Thursday, October 1, which marks the first full-day session of the proceedings. Trillanes, a longtime critic of the Duterte family, previously linked Uy—an alleged drug figure—to financial transactions associated with the family.
Addressing Article II of the articles of impeachment, which focuses on allegations of unexplained wealth and inaccurate asset disclosures, Luistro noted that the prosecution team has not been briefed on the full scope of Trillanes’ planned testimony.
“Well, I anticipate that [Sammy Uy issue] will be part [of it], but the complete extent and nature of the testimony, would-be testimony of Senator Sonny Trillanes is not actually being disclosed to us,” Luistro said in a television interview.
Trillanes previously brought up the alleged financial links during House Committee on Justice hearings earlier this year, presenting financial documents that he claimed showed transaction records between Duterte family accounts and payments involving Uy. The panel had been reviewing four separate impeachment complaints lodged against the Vice President.
Following those presentations, the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) confirmed that several randomly sampled transactions matching Trillanes’ materials were present in official bank records, including entries associated with Uy.
However, the AMLC noted that its confirmation did not automatically substantiate the prosecution’s characterizations or the intended purpose of those funds.
Luistro explained that the prosecution panel currently has only a broad framework of what Trillanes intends to address on the stand.
“Well, we are not aware completely, like what I have said, of the complete nature and extent of the testimony except that we know that he will be testifying on the sources of these bank transactions and acquisitions,” she said.
The prosecution strategy involves establishing the formal evidentiary foundation of these transactions through AMLC documents and official records before calling on Trillanes to provide context regarding the background of the evidence.
Vice President Duterte has consistently denied the accusations, leaving the impeachment court to weigh the admissibility and overall value of the presented documents and witness testimonies.