THE Senate sitting as the Impeachment Court on Monday allowed the prosecution to secure subpoenas for selected bank documents, as well as records from the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte, her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, Carpio Lawyers; and 19 entities identified by the prosecution.
In a ruling, Impeachment Court Presiding Officer Francis Escudero overruled the defense’s objections and allowed the production of financial documents covering the period from 2007 to 2021, saying these would help establish a financial baseline relevant to the allegations under Article II, which involves claims of unexplained wealth.
After reviewing the requests, Escudero said the court found the documents sufficiently defined, identifiable, and materially relevant to the case.
He noted that similar financial records had been examined in past impeachment proceedings, including that of former Chief Justice Renato Corona, and cited the law recognizing impeachment cases as exceptions to bank secrecy protections.
The court approved requests involving 19 corporations and Carpio Lawyers, finding preliminary evidence linking Duterte to these entities through official filings and her declared assets. It ruled that the subpoenas were not exploratory in nature and limited them to peso-denominated accounts relevant to Article II.
However, foreign currency accounts were excluded without written consent from depositors. Requests involving JTC Group of Companies and Pikimong Pikimong Philippines Corporation were denied due to insufficient initial linkage.
Deadline
THE Senate Impeachment Court ordered banks to submit the requested records by July 30, 2026, with the documents initially to be reviewed in-camera by the presiding officer to prevent the disclosure of sensitive information. Only peso-denominated accounts will be covered, while foreign currency deposits are excluded without the consent of the depositors.
Subpoenas were also issued to the AMLC for records involving Carpio, whether individually or jointly with Duterte, as well as accounts tied to their law firm and several corporate entities. However, the court denied requests for records linked to certain companies, citing the prosecution’s failure to establish their relevance to the case.
Escudero emphasized that the records from 2007 to 2021 would be used solely to establish a comparative financial baseline and not to prove separate impeachable offenses outside the current charges. He added that the admissibility of the documents would still depend on the prosecution’s ability to link them to alleged unexplained wealth during Duterte’s term.