MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian is hoping to wrap up the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte before the end of the year, saying the timeline will hinge on how many witnesses her defense presents.
The Senate impeachment court is preparing to hear Duterte’s defense after the House prosecution panel dropped three of the four impeachment articles against her, leaving allegations of unexplained wealth and irregularities in her statements of assets, liabilities and net worth as the focus of the proceedings.
“We are hoping that we can do this soon, hopefully before the end of the year,” Gatchalian told reporters on the sidelines of an event at the Marriott Hotel in Pasay City on Monday.
Asked whether the trial could end in November or December, Gatchalian said the court would have to assess the defense’s witness list before determining the timeline.
“We will wait for the list of witnesses the defense will submit and assess it from there,” the Senate president said.
The prosecution panel, led by Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro, withdrew the three other articles on Oct. 13, arguing that its evidence on the remaining charge was sufficient to secure Duterte’s conviction. The Senate impeachment court accepted the withdrawal, allowing the trial to focus on the remaining allegations.
The prosecution has accused Duterte of having unexplained wealth estimated at P817.87 million. Financial forensic analyst Alexander Cabrea earlier told the court that the alleged unexplained wealth of Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio, could reach P1.5 billion from 2022 to 2025.
Gatchalian said concluding the trial this year would help remove political uncertainty that could weigh on business confidence and investment.
“We hope it will be finished this year so the uncertainty will be gone. Impeachment is a political uncertainty, and it affects businesses because when there is an impeachment, they hold off on investing,” he said.
The trial is scheduled to resume in November, with full-day hearings set for Nov. 10, 12, 13, 19 and 20. The duration of the defense presentation will depend on the number of witnesses and the evidence it intends to submit.
