Metro Manila, Philippines – Vice President Sara Duterte’s defense team has supposedly expressed openness in unsealing the box containing her tax records during a closed-door session – key evidence in allegations of unexplained wealth, the prosecution’s spokesperson said on Monday, June 29.
In a press briefing, Jay Tolosa, private prosecutor and legal spokesperson, said the defense team made this remark in its reply to the manifestation of the prosecution, asking the Senate, sitting as an Impeachment Court, to open the box during the pre-trial stage.
“They changed their stance and said they are open to having the box opened and that we could conduct an inventory of its content and we could mark the same but under specific conditions, which is that it would be done in an executive session and that it be made confidential from the public,” he said.
The defense team had said it will refrain from discussing pleadings to the public, in adherence to court rules.
Tolosa said the prosecution welcomes the supposed shift on the defense position on the box submitted by the Bureau of Internal Revenue during the proceeding of the House justice committee.
“We will leave it to the discretion of the Impeachment Court with respect to those conditions. But insofar as we’re concerned, we’d like to take that as a positive step towards transparency,” he said.
However, Leila de Lima, House prosecutor and Mamamayang Liberal representative, rejected conditions for an executive session.
“Hindi naman kailangan ng executive session, bakit kailangan pa ng executive session? Iyon lang naman ang gagawin muna, saka na lang pagtalunan iyong tungkol nga dun sa kanilang mga sinasabi na hindi pwede dahil merong confidentiality provisions but it is our right at this point, the prosecution, to really mark those exhibits kasi kasama yan sa listahan ng aming mga evidence,” she said.
[Translation: There really isn’t any need for an executive session. Why is an executive session necessary? For now, all we need to do is mark the exhibits. The arguments about whether they can be admitted because of the confidentiality provisions can be addressed afterward. At this stage, it is the prosecution’s right to mark those exhibits, since they are included in our list of evidence.]
The Impeachment Court ended the pre-trial conference on June 25 without marking the BIR box and its content.
Senate Secretary Rey Bantug, who sits as clerk of court, previously said the pre-trial may be reopened if the court decides to unseal the box and mark it as evidence.
During the House justice committee proceeding, lawmakers deferred the opening of the box after the BIR cited confidentiality issues in relation to the National Internal Revenue Code.
