House prosecutors to present over 30 witnesses in VP Duterte impeachment trial

THE House prosecution panel will present more than 30 witnesses in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte, lead prosecutor and House Committee on Justice Chairperson Rep. Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro said Monday as prosecutors prepared to file their pre-trial brief before the Senate impeachment court. “It is more than 25. The witnesses is not only 25, it’s not only 30, it’s even more,” Luistro said during a press briefing. Luistro said prosecutors expanded the witness list to ensure that all significant testimony can be presented during the trial, noting that witnesses whose names are not disclosed during pre-trial proceedings may generally be barred from testifying later. The pre-trial brief will contain the prosecution’s list of witnesses, proposed stipulations of fact and documentary evidence that will be presented before the impeachment court. While parties are generally required to identify their witnesses before trial, Luistro clarified that impeachment rules allow reservations for certain witnesses and documents for “security and safety reasons.” “In fact, it applies not only to witnesses, it applies even to documents which are not yet available during the conduct of pre-trial,” Luistro explained. “In simple terms, the parties are allowed to make a reservation in the pre-trial brief and during the pre-trial conference, provided we give a reasonable description of who this witness is, what will be the nature of the testimony, and what is the purpose to be achieved by presenting this witness.” Impeachment prosecutor and San Juan City Rep. Ysabel Maria Zamora said the same rule allows parties to withhold the identities of certain witnesses while still disclosing the nature of their expected testimony. “While the general rule is that we have to list down all of the names of the witnesses that we will be presenting during trial, we are allowed to withhold certain names for security and safety purposes,” Zamora said. The clarification came after reporters asked whether bank officials would be among the witnesses expected to testify in support of allegations involving unexplained wealth. “So, regarding the bank officials, for example, it is possible that we will not yet say the names of these persons, but there will be a description of their position and or the purpose of their testimony,” Zamora said. Luistro said bank representatives and bank records have long been considered part of the evidence the House intends to present in the impeachment proceedings. “We have no communication with the bank officials, but since the proceeding in the Justice Committee, it has always been the intention of the House of Representatives to include the bank representatives and the bank documents among the evidence which will be presented by the prosecution team,” she said. Luistro said prosecutors are preparing a substantial volume of documentary evidence, particularly for the Articles of Impeachment involving alleged misuse of confidential funds and unexplained wealth. The Senate impeachment court is scheduled to hold its pre-trial conference on June 18, ahead of the start of the impeachment trial on July 6.