House prosecutors are resisting efforts to block the inspection of Vice President Sara Duterte’s financial history from before her time in office, arguing that older records are vital to proving allegations of unexplained wealth.
Bicol Saro Party-list Representative Terry Ridon, speaking for the prosecution panel, stated that evaluating the Vice President’s current financial standing requires looking at how her wealth grew across her career.
This push follows moves from Duterte’s defense team to exclude records that predate her term as Vice President from the impeachment trial.
“I think we have to be very clear that you cannot reach ₱88.5 million in 2024 without starting from a particular date,” Ridon said in an interview on Wednesday.
“Which is why 2007 up until 2024 are relevant dates relating to the current net worth of (Duterte), which is specifically in issue on unexplained wealth,” he added.
According to data from the House Committee on Justice, Duterte’s declared net worth expanded from roughly ₱7.25 million in 2007 to ₱88.5 million in 2024.
The prosecution insists that the Senate impeachment court must be permitted to track the trajectory and origins of these assets to verify if the massive increase can be legally justified.