Metro Manila, Philippines – Former Senator Sonny Trillanes IV has withdrawn as a witness in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, with the House prosecution saying his expected testimony is already substantially covered by evidence on record.
Lead prosecutor Jinky Luistro told the Senate Impeachment Court Thursday, Oct. 1, that the decision was final after Trillanes asked the prosecution to remove his name from its witness list.
“This way, the prosecution panel would be relieved from the pressure it is going through,” Trillanes said in a statement.
Luistro said the prosecution had been discussing whether to present Trillanes for some time, but his own decision to withdraw ultimately settled the matter.
She also rejected suggestions that senator-judges pressured the prosecution to drop Trillanes.
“Wala po akong alam na ganyang pressure coming from senators [I don’t know of such pressure from senators],” Luistro said, adding that the prosecution’s main pressure was the number of remaining witnesses and the volume of documents it still had to present.
Private prosecutor Lorna Kapunan said the withdrawal would not affect the prosecution’s presentation of Article II of the impeachment complaint, which alleges unexplained wealth and failure to disclose assets in Duterte’s SALNs.
Kapunan said Trillanes’ expected testimony was already covered by existing records, including his previous testimony before the House committee on justice and transcripts authenticated by another prosecution witness.
“There is no loss to the full development of this article because what Senator Trillanes would have testified on is already part of records by way of judicial notice,” Kapunan said.
The prosecution said it has also been reassessing its witnesses as the trial progresses and has previously reduced the number of witnesses when other evidence was considered sufficient.
House prosecutor Terry Ridon said the defense could still present Trillanes as its own witness.
Trillanes is set to hold a press conference Friday, Oct. 2, where he is expected to discuss the testimony and information he had planned to present in the trial.
The prosecution proceeded Thursday with LRA witnesses on properties registered to Carpio, while the AMLC witness was moved to Monday to give the defense more time to prepare.
