Metro Manila, Philippines – The impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte faced delays on Thursday, Oct. 8, after the prosecution said the lawyer assigned to present its Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) witness was sick, leading to a dispute over whether another witness should testify first.
The prosecution asked the impeachment court to allow forensic analyst Alexander Cabrera to take the witness stand ahead of the BIR witness.
Presiding Officer Francis Escudero initially considered the request, but the defense objected, saying Cabrera was not the scheduled witness and that the change would unfairly require Duterte’s camp to adjust to the prosecution’s situation.
The court suspended session and reconvened as a legislative body, only to resume session by mid-afternoon.
Matib arrived at the Senate before 3 p.m. on Thursday, as the court waited to determine whether he could still present the BIR witness despite his illness.
The trial resumed and the prosecution was able to present tax records of Duterte and her spouse, Mans Carpio, through the BIR Office of the Commissioner chief of staff Anne Loraine Garcia-Marquez.
