The Senate impeachment court postponed its decision on Wednesday regarding the House prosecution’s requests to subpoena Vice President Sara Duterte’s banking and tax documents, as well as reports from the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).
Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero, serving as the presiding officer of the impeachment court, explained that the senator-judges decided during a caucus that the complex legal questions surrounding the two motions required further deliberation.
“The senator-judges agreed to study the matter more given that not everyone has actually completed reading the memoranda given by the parties and submitted by the parties,” Escudero before the adjournment of the sixth day of Duterte’s impeachment trial.
“And given that they want more time to look into the complicated issues involved in these two motions for the issuance of subpoena,” he added.
House prosecutors requested the financial files to substantiate Article II of the impeachment complaint, which charges Duterte with accumulating unexplained and undeclared wealth.
During the oral arguments, the prosecution team asserted that these documents are vital to uncovering the full reality behind the accusations.
Conversely, the defense panel pressed the court to deny the motions. They argued that the prosecution leveled charges of unexplained wealth against Duterte before actually gathering the evidence to prove it.
Furthermore, Duterte’s legal counsel characterized the subpoena requests as an excessively broad “fishing expedition” that violates due process and confidentiality.
The impeachment court is anticipated to hand down its ruling on the motions when the Vice President’s trial reconvenes on Monday, July 20.