NBI Dir. Melvin Matibag/ Photo courtesy of PNA.
National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag on Tuesday denied that he was trying to dictate the schedule of the Senate impeachment court after requesting an earlier date for his testimony in Vice President Sara Duterte’s trial.
Matibag said his request was made respectfully and suggested that Senator-judge Alan Peter Cayetano may not have read the contents of the letter before criticizing it.
The NBI chief earlier asked House prosecutors to move his appearance to a date before July 20 because he is scheduled to attend a regional summit on transnational organized crime in Thailand hosted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Royal Thai Police.
On Monday, Cayetano questioned the request, saying it was inappropriate for the head of a government agency to appear to dictate his availability to the impeachment court, noting that senator-judges themselves had set aside official commitments to attend the proceedings.
Matibag rejected that characterization, saying the NBI had no authority to direct the impeachment court and maintained that he held the senator-judges, prosecutors, and defense panel in high regard.
He also said he remained ready to testify whenever directed by the court and would limit his testimony to the evidence and official records gathered by the bureau.
The prosecution intends to present Matibag as a witness for Article IV of the impeachment complaint, which centers on Duterte’s alleged threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
The Senate impeachment court has yet to announce whether it will grant Matibag’s request to adjust the schedule of his testimony.
