MANILA — Former senator Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV held a press briefing Friday, October 2, to publicly present information he said concerned alleged unexplained wealth and financial transactions involving members of the Duterte family.
During the briefing, Trillanes displayed documents and charts containing what he claimed were bank transactions involving former president Rodrigo Duterte, Vice President Sara Duterte and other family members. One presentation shown during the briefing was titled “Withdrawal of P96M in One Day.”
The financial information presented by Trillanes consists of allegations that have not been independently established by the Senate impeachment court. Vice President Duterte is currently facing Article II of the impeachment complaint, which covers allegations involving unexplained wealth, financial transactions, business interests and asset disclosures.
Trillanes held the briefing a day after the House prosecution panel formally removed him from its witness list in Duterte’s impeachment trial. Lead prosecutor Gerville Luistro announced Thursday that prosecutors would no longer present the former senator as a witness.
Trillanes later said he had asked to be withdrawn as a prosecution witness and would instead disclose publicly the information he had intended to present before the impeachment court.
The prosecution had previously planned to call Trillanes to discuss alleged financial transactions involving Duterte and her family. The impeachment court, however, is separately set to hear evidence from Anti-Money Laundering Council officials concerning financial records relevant to Article II.
The allegations and financial records presented by Trillanes remain subject to verification and any responses from the individuals concerned.
