THE Senate impeachment court will decide today, July 20, whether to grant the motion of the prosecution to subpoena the bank and tax records of Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband, Manases Carpio.
During a caucus on Friday, the senator-judges agreed to decide on the motion after hearing the positions of both camps.
The senators agreed the motion needed further study since “not everyone has actually completed reading the memoranda submitted by the parties," Impeachment Court Presiding Officer Francis Escudero said last Wednesday.
Reginald Tongol, impeachment court spokesman, said only those senators present on Monday will be able to vote.
"And 'yung mananalong boto doon is 50 percent plus 1 (And the winning vote there would be 50 percent plus 1), Tongol said.
That means that if there are 21 senators present, the prosecution needs 11 votes to approve its motion.
The House prosecution team’s spokesman Benjamin Tolosa Jr. said the panel was hopeful the motion will be granted.
"We are hopeful that that will be granted because the basis of our request to have these documents subpoenaed is strong," the team's legal spokesman said in Filipino and English in a DZBB interview on Sunday.
"Impeachment is an exception to... bank secrecy laws. It is clear... specified that in impeachment proceedings, that is really allowed," Tolosa said.
