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Vice President Sara Duterte has been accused of violating the Constitution, graft and corruption, betrayal of public trust and serious crimes.
MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday, June 1, asked the Senate impeachment court to drop the articles of impeachment against her, claiming they “face serious constitutional, procedural and gross defects.”
“They fail to meet the standards required by the Constitution and, accordingly, should be dismissed,” Duterte said in his response to articles of indictment against it to be submitted to the Senate on Monday, the deadline for submission.
Senate Secretary and Clerk of the Court of Impeachment Jose Luis Montales officially received Duterte’s official response from Duterte’s legal team.
“There is a standard under the Constitution to make an innocent violation of the Constitution, corruption, corruption and corruption, a serious crime, or betrayal of public trust for an official who cannot be acquitted of anything. The allegations against the Vice President do not meet the threshold,” Duterte said in his response, based on a summary of his presentation given to the media.
Duterte’s camp reiterated its position that the House justice committee allegedly conducted a “trial” when it deliberated on the impeachment complaint against him.
This is based on the statement of charges panel chairman Jinky Luistro at the beginning of the hearings that what they were doing was a “mini-trial” or a preliminary investigation while the trial examined the evidence provided by the plaintiffs.
Duterte also accused the House panel of “preliminary judgment,” and questioned the introduction of “new pieces of evidence that were not included in the impeachment complaint” that “the Vice President was not given the opportunity to confront and answer” and was thus denied due process.
Duterte skipped all impeachment hearings, saying he would only deal with the allegations before the Senate impeachment trial.
The Vice President also questioned why the accusations against him also refer to the actions that he is alleged to have done when he is not an official who cannot be released. He said the articles of impeachment “were based on alleged records, documents, and allegations pertaining to the periods” when he was Davao City mayor and vice mayor.
Duterte also denied that he misused secret money and maintained that he had no ill-gotten wealth.
“Regarding the allegations of political disturbance, incitement, or threats against government officials, the Defense claims that the allegations are based on statements made out of context, statements not made by the Vice President himself, or interpretations not supported by admissible evidence,” Duterte’s camp said.
Duterte has been accused of violating the Constitution, graft and corruption, betrayal of public trust and serious crimes.
He allegedly misused secret funds as head of the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education (DepEd). Also, one of the subjects of the articles of impeachment is the discrepancy between the transaction records of Duterte’s bank and its declared value in the Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth.
Duterte is also alleged to have given cash gifts to DepEd officials and threatening to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and former speaker Martin Romualdez.
The House of Representatives impeached Duterte for the second time on Monday, May 11. On the same day, a coup occurred in the upper house. suspending Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate president and Duterte-linked senators as members of the majority bloc.
The articles of impeachment were submitted by the House of Representatives to the Senate on Wednesday, May 13, the same day. A shootout involving agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and Senate security officers ensued.
The Senate then met as an impeachment court on Monday, May 18. The impeachment case is scheduled for July 6. – Rappler.com
