MANILA – Malacañang on Wednesday said bank records presented during the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte carry significant evidentiary weight and would be difficult to dispute unless there is proof they were tampered with.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro made the statement after financial documents involving Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, were presented before the Senate impeachment court.
Castro, a lawyer, said records produced by representatives of the banks themselves could constitute strong evidence in the proceedings.
“The bank accounts presented by the bank representatives themselves have a significant impact and carry substantial value,” Castro told reporters at the Philippine Embassy in Singapore.
“Bank records do not lie,” she added, saying such documents would be difficult to refute unless there was evidence that they had been altered or tampered with.
Bank representatives have been testifying as part of the House prosecution panel’s presentation of evidence on allegations of unexplained wealth against Duterte.
The prosecution has sought to compare Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth with balances, deposits, withdrawals and other transactions reflected in subpoenaed financial records.
On Wednesday, Bank of the Philippine Islands official Marwin Galvez testified about a joint account under the names of Duterte and her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, including transactions involving time deposits and manager’s checks.
The defense, however, said the Vice President does not recall the joint account and denied that she participated in the transactions being scrutinized.
Defense lawyer Michael Poa said Duterte asked her lawyers to verify the accounts after they surfaced because she did not remember having such an account or conducting transactions through it.
The Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, is continuing to hear evidence from both the prosecution and defense as it considers the charges against Duterte.
