On Day 32 of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial Thursday, lead public prosecutor and Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro announced that the prosecution has decided not to present former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV as a witness.
Trillanes later confirmed on social media that he had personally asked Luistro to withdraw his name, saying the move would relieve the prosecution panel of the pressure it is going through. He added that he would hold a press conference on Friday, Oct. 2, to reveal the contents of the testimony he would have delivered before the court.
Also during Thursday’s session, the defense and prosecution clashed over the confidentiality provisions of the Anti-Money Laundering Act ahead of the scheduled testimony of AMLC Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura.
Lead defense counsel Sheila Sison requested that Buenaventura’s appearance be moved to Monday to give the defense time to prepare for the documents to be presented alongside his testimony, and also raised an objection concerning the absolute confidentiality of AMLC records.
The impeachment court granted the deferment, pushing Buenaventura’s testimony to Monday.
The court also granted the prosecution’s request to subpoena representatives of banks, insurance companies, and the Bureau of Internal Revenue, with BIR witnesses scheduled for Oct. 5 and bank and insurance representatives for Oct. 6.
Senator-judge Raffy Tulfo, meanwhile, scolded the prosecution for fielding witnesses he said were unnecessary to the trial, urging them to be more strategic in their witness selection.
Meanwhile, outside the court, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., through Palace press officer Claire Castro, said he respects the Supreme Court’s decision dismissing the petitions against the voting threshold ruling.