Private prosecution panel member Atty. Lorna Kapunan pointed out that Vice President Sara Duterte’s defense team appears to lack a financial expert capable of directly challenging the testimony of forensic analyst Atty. Alexander Cabrera.
Cabrera previously delivered a damaging testimony during the Senate impeachment trial, identifying at least ₱817.87 million in alleged unexplained wealth.
During a press briefing on Friday, November 6, Kapunan questioned the absence of a financial specialist among the 24 witnesses listed by the defense to counter Cabrera’s analysis.
“Wala yata silang maitapat sa aming witness na si Atty. Cabrera,” Kapunan said.
“Nakita namin sa list of witnesses na wala silang linista na witness na mag-e-explain ng discrepancy,” she added.
Kapunan defended Cabrera’s findings, emphasizing that his conclusions were grounded entirely on concrete records rather than speculation.
“So the expert witness that we presented did not give opinions based on thin air. Yung expert po namin nagbigay ng opinion based on records na pinag-aralan,” she underscored.
Cabrera, a lawyer and former chairman of PwC Isla Lipana & Co., estimated that alleged undeclared assets involving Duterte and her husband, Atty. Manases “Mans” Carpio, ranged from ₱817.87 million to as high as ₱1.5 billion between 2022 and 2025, drawing from bank records, tax filings, corporate papers, and Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs).
While the prosecution maintains that the financial records point to glaring discrepancies, the defense has disputed these conclusions.
Despite the absence of a financial expert on their witness list, Duterte retains the opportunity to challenge Cabrera’s findings through cross-examination, documentary evidence, and legal arguments.