Prosecution Seeks Sara Duterte’s Admission on Authenticity and Ownership of Bank Accounts in Impeachment Trial

The House prosecution panel in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte has formally requested her admission regarding the authenticity and ownership of certain bank accounts that the prosecution plans to present as evidence. Prosecutor Chel Diokno of the Akbayan party-list submitted a 104-page request for admission to the Senate impeachment court and the defense on the 23rd day of the trial.

Diokno cited provisions from the Rules of Court, specifically Section 1, Rule 26, which allows a party to serve a written request for admission of the genuineness of material documents or the truth of relevant facts after the issues have been joined. He also referenced Section 2, which states that matters covered by such requests are deemed admitted unless the party served submits a sworn response either denying the matters or explaining why they cannot truthfully admit or deny them.

The prosecution’s request asks Duterte to confirm two key points: first, whether the bank records submitted by various banks in compliance with subpoenas issued by the impeachment court are genuine; and second, whether the bank accounts referenced in those records belong to Duterte herself, either individually or jointly with her husband, father, siblings, or children.

Diokno emphasized that the vice president is in a position to verify these details, as she possesses personal knowledge of the accounts and can confirm their accuracy through her own records or directly with the banks. He clarified that the prosecution is not asking Duterte to admit anything she does not know or that is untrue. If any matter is genuinely disputed, she may deny it specifically or explain under oath why she cannot admit or deny it.

The prosecutor further explained that refusing to admit facts or documents that can be easily verified would undermine the purpose of a Request for Admission, which is to narrow down the issues and avoid unnecessary proof during the trial.

This request is part of the prosecution’s case under Article 2 of the impeachment complaint, which accuses Duterte of accumulating unexplained wealth disproportionate to her lawful income during her tenure as a public official. The article also alleges that she failed to fully disclose her and her spouse’s assets, liabilities, and net worth in her Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) from 2022 to 2024, and that she did not divest her business interests while serving as vice president from 2022 to 2025.

In response, Duterte’s defense counsel Michael Poa requested 15 days to file a comment on the prosecution’s request. Poa also questioned whether the Rules of Court cited by Diokno are applicable in an impeachment proceeding. Senate impeachment court presiding officer Francis Escudero granted the defense’s motion for the 15-day period to respond.

Separately, the House prosecution panel indicated its intention to present Vice President Duterte herself as a witness during the impeachment trial. However, the defense argued that Duterte cannot be compelled to testify against herself in the course of the impeachment proceedings.