Geline Salac

Prosecutors undaunted if VP Sara shows up in impeach trial - spokesman

Article (news)

David Dizon

ABS-CBN News

Will Vice-President Sara Duterte appear in the impeachment trial to watch the testimony of her chief of staff Zuleika Lopez? Atty. Benjamin Tolosa Jr., legal spokesperson of the House prosecution team, said there will be no change in the prosecution’s strategy if the Vice-President decides to show up as a spectator in the trial.Private prosecutor Lorna Kapunan also asked the impeachment court if the Veep would like to attend the trial after she visited the Senate to confer with her lawyers last Tuesday.“It’s going to be the same. If [the Vice-President] will be there, it would be good indication humarap naman siya sa impeachment court. Baka aside from watching her chief of staff testify, maybe the respondent could also…heed the public’s call and personally answer the charges against her,” Tolosa said in a DZMM interview.The House prosecution has asked the Senate impeachment court to invite Lopez as a witness for Article 4 of the Impeachment case against Duterte for allegedly contracting an assassin to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos and then Speaker Martin Romualdez if anything happens to her.Prosecutors earlier shared a clip of Duterte’s threat while the defense panel shared a portion from the same video, showing Lopez crying after she was threatened with House arrest by members of the House quad committee.Tolosa said members of the prosecution are still discussing whether or not to invite the Vice-President as a hostile witness, noting that Duterte’s testimony may no longer be needed if the prosecution already has enough witnesses and evidence.Prosecutors, he said, cannot summon respondents during a criminal trial since they have the right against self-incrimination “but that is not applicable here.”“We can file it but let’s see how the impeachment court will decide,” he said.He also refused to share details about what prosecutors will ask Lopez at the stand, noting only that the chief of staff was in the same room with the Vice-President when she made the threat. Lopez was included as a possible witness even during the pre-trial brief,he said.“She could provide details, surrounding circumstances when those utterances were made,” he said.Lopez earlier told reporters to “Prepare for Typhoon Inday” - the same name of a typhoon near Luzon and VP Duterte’s nickname.The prosecution has said there is no more question on the authenticity of the video showing the Vice President’s alleged threats, after the Defense presented a part of the same video.“I think the presentation of the video of Atty. Zuleika is already an admission, is deemed an admission of the defense about the relevance of Atty. Zuleika and her testimony in this impeachment trial,” lead prosecutor Gerville Luistro explained. Tolosa refused to say if Atty. Amando Virgilio Ligutan will again take charge in questioning the prosecution’s next witness on Monday, July 13.“Wait and see,” he said, after the defense panel revealed they will tap Mark Vinluan to take over next week.

Will Vice-President Sara Duterte appear in the impeachment trial to watch the testimony of her chief of staff Zuleika Lopez?

Will Vice-President Sara Duterte appear in the impeachment trial to watch the testimony of her chief of staff Zuleika Lopez?