Metro Manila, Philippines – The prosecution panel in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial have dropped the Office of the Vice President chief of staff Zuleika Lopez and Legislative Security Bureau executive director Capt. Belinda Bello as witnesses for Impeachment Article IV, on Duterte’s grave threats.
Counsel for prosecutor Lorna Kapunan, in a manifestation on Tuesday, July 14, said her panel would no longer present the two.
“We find it totally unnecessary, redundant, and a surplusage to present Atty. Zuleika Lopez and as well Capt. Belinda Bello,” Kapunan told the Impeachment Court.
Kapunan said that they wanted to examine Lopez, a close friend of Duterte, to prove that she was in the detention center when the vice president made her alleged kill threat.
Bello would have corroborated Lopez’s transfer to the House detention center after the House held her in contempt during a hearing on Duterte’s alleged misuse of confidential funds.
Kapunan said that Duterte’s defense counsel, Mark Vinluan, in his opening remarks, made 10 remarks admitting that the vice president and Lopez were present at the detention center and that Duterte made those remarks.
This means that when the Impeachment Court continues, it will move on to the oral arguments on the box containing the tax records of Duterte.
‘Unexpected’
For defense spokesperson Michael Poa, the prosecution’s withdrawal of Lopez and Bello was unexpected.
In a press briefing after the adjournment of the July 14 session, he said the defense panel would also be willing to withdraw witnesses to avoid repetitive testimonies. However, he mentioned that the defense may bring back Lopez as a witness in the future.
Meanwhile, Poa said the defense was able to hit its targets on the credibility of Lotoc and NBI special agent John Mark Calilung during the separate cross-examinations of Vinluan and Atty. CJ Narvasa.
He added that Duterte’s lawyers were ready for the oral arguments over the so-called “BIR box.”
