MANILA, Philippines — Sara Duterte will not attend the April 29 hearing of the House Committee on Justice on impeachment complaints against her, her legal team said Thursday, maintaining its position to challenge the proceedings before the Supreme Court of the Philippines.
Defense spokesperson Michael Poa confirmed in a press conference that Duterte would again skip the panel’s next session, a day after she also did not appear in its second hearing. The committee is expected to tackle allegations that the vice president made grave threats against Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
Poa said the defense would remain consistent with its stance not to participate in the House proceedings, citing a petition filed before the Supreme Court seeking to halt the impeachment process. He added that Duterte would respond to the অভিযোগ in what the defense considers the proper venue, referring to a possible trial in the Senate.
During Wednesday’s clarificatory hearing, members of the House committee examined Duterte’s financial records. The Anti-Money Laundering Council reported that it had flagged several transactions involving Duterte and her relatives as suspicious or covered under monitoring rules.
Duterte denied allegations that she held billions of pesos in bank transactions, saying in a statement earlier Thursday that her record in public service remains clean.