Key facts
- Philippine Senate ordered banks and the Anti-Money Laundering Council to produce financial records for Vice President Sara Duterte.
- The subpoenas are part of an impeachment case against Duterte on charges of unexplained earnings, bribery, and corruption.
- The records will be used to assess Duterte's assets, transactions, and business interests during her current term.
- A conviction could derail Duterte's plans to run for president in 2028.
- Duterte denies any wrongdoing and calls the proceedings politically motivated.
MANILA, July 20 (Reuters) - The Philippine Senate has ordered banks and the Anti-Money Laundering Council to produce financial records for Vice President Sara Duterte, her husband, and several linked entities. This move represents a procedural victory for prosecutors aiming to demonstrate that Duterte amassed unexplained wealth during her term.
The Senate, functioning as an impeachment court, has stipulated that the records can only be used as a starting point to evaluate Duterte's assets, transactions, and business interests during her current tenure, explicitly prohibiting their use for introducing new allegations.
Duterte was impeached by the House of Representatives on May 11, facing charges that include unexplained earnings, bribery, and corruption. She was also accused of threatening President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the first lady, and a former House speaker.
Marcos and Duterte, both from prominent political families, ran and won on a joint ticket in 2022. However, their alliance later fractured, with Duterte criticizing Marcos for incompetence and a lack of leadership.
Senator Francis Escudero, who presides over the impeachment trial, stated that the requested documents meet the court's requirements. The court also granted a subpoena for tax records but deferred their release pending compliance with confidentiality rules.
A conviction, which requires at least 16 of the Senate's 24 members to vote in favor, could significantly impact Duterte's ambition to run for president in 2028. Duterte has consistently denied any wrongdoing, characterizing the impeachment proceedings as politically motivated.