Manila: The House prosecution panel increased its list of potential witnesses from 25 to 57 in the upcoming impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte to ensure that all relevant evidence can be presented before the Senate impeachment court, lead prosecutor Rep. Gerville 'Jinky Bitrics' Luistro said Tuesday.
According to Philippines News Agency, the prosecution panel included in the pre-trial brief it submitted on Monday all possible witnesses and documentary evidence that may be relevant to the four Articles of Impeachment. While declining to discuss reports of alleged new evidence against Duterte, Luistro confirmed that the panel had finalized its list of potential witnesses.
"As to the number of witnesses, the final number is 57," Luistro said. She noted that the list grew after prosecutors decided to include every witness and piece of evidence that could potentially be presented during the trial. "So, we included every piece of evidence na alam namin may relevance whatsoever dito sa (that we know has relevance, whatsoever, in the) impeachment, Articles of Impeachment," she added.
Luistro highlighted that impeachment rules prohibit the presentation of witnesses and exhibits that were not identified and marked during pre-trial proceedings. "Otherwise, kung hindi mo 'yan namarkahan, hindi mo nasamang pangalan (if these are not marked, or you did not include their names), they will not be allowed to be presented during the trial," she explained.
Despite listing 57 witnesses, Luistro mentioned that the prosecution has yet to decide how many will actually take the stand once trial proceedings begin on July 6. Among the four Articles of Impeachment, she stated that the article involving the alleged misuse of confidential funds has the most witnesses due to the volume of supporting documents that must be formally identified through testimony.
Luistro emphasized that any evidence the prosecution intends to present during the trial should already be reflected in the pre-trial brief. She added that details contained in the pre-trial brief will eventually become public as part of the impeachment proceedings.
The House prosecution panel submitted its 57-page pre-trial brief, including its list of witnesses and documentary evidence, to the Senate impeachment court on Monday ahead of the June 18 pre-trial conference. House prosecutors have repeatedly maintained that they are prepared to present evidence supporting all four Articles of Impeachment against Duterte, which include allegations involving the misuse of confidential funds, unexplained wealth, bribery, and threats against the country's top officials.
