MANILA, Philippines — Former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV has withdrawn as a prosecution witness in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, saying his decision would ease pressure on the House prosecution panel.
Lead House prosecutor and Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro announced the decision in open court Thursday, saying the prosecution would no longer present Trillanes as a witness for the charge of alleged unexplained wealth against Duterte.
Luistro did not give a reason for the prosecution’s decision.
Trillanes said in a statement that he asked prosecutors to remove him from the witness list.
“This way, the prosecution panel would be relieved from the pressure it is going through,” Trillanes said without elaborating.
Instead of testifying before the Senate impeachment court, Trillanes said he would hold a press conference Friday to present “everything that I would have disclosed in the impeachment trial.”
The prosecution previously listed Trillanes as a witness for Article 2, which accuses Duterte of having unexplained wealth that she failed to declare in her statement of assets, liabilities and net worth.
“The prosecution has finally decided not to present former Sen. Sonny Trillanes,” Luistro told the impeachment court. She also asked the court to accept the prosecution’s late decision.
Trillanes’ allegations
Trillanes had previously presented financial records and allegations involving Duterte and members of her family during a House justice committee hearing on April 22.
In an 11-page affidavit, Trillanes alleged that Duterte, her husband Manases Carpio and other family members held accounts totaling P111.63 million as of April 2016.
He also alleged that Duterte, former President Rodrigo Duterte, Paolo Duterte, Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte, Honeylet Avanceña and their daughter Veronica “Kitty” Duterte received P181.6 million in checks from alleged drug lord Sammy Uy between 2011 and 2013.
The allegations remain contested.
AMLC confirms transactions
Anti-Money Laundering Council Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura confirmed during the House hearing that 18 transactions randomly selected from those presented by Trillanes matched AMLC records.
Buenaventura said the records confirmed movements of funds but did not establish the nature of one transaction because of the limited information available to the council at the time.
One transaction dated Dec. 9, 2014, involved P16.85 million, according to AMLC records.
Buenaventura also told lawmakers that the AMLC had identified suspicious transactions involving Duterte and her relatives totaling P6.7 billion, including P4.4 billion in inflows and P1.5 billion in outflows.
Prosecutors faced questions over witness order
Before Luistro announced Trillanes’ withdrawal, Senator-judge Raffy Tulfo questioned the prosecution about when it would present the former senator.
Tulfo urged prosecutors to present Trillanes before the AMLC executive director, saying the former senator could explain his allegations before the AMLC official addressed the financial transactions.
Tulfo also criticized the prosecution for presenting witnesses he considered unnecessary and urged the panel to ensure that every witness contributed relevant information to the proceedings.
The prosecution had previously said Trillanes would testify.
House prosecutor and Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon said Tuesday that Trillanes would take the witness stand before officials from the Land Registration Authority and the AMLC.
Ridon said Wednesday that the prosecution continued to consider Trillanes as a witness but was reviewing the order after Senate impeachment court presiding officer and Senator-judge Francis Escudero suggested that prosecutors present him after the AMLC representative.
Trillanes later withdrew from the witness list, ending his expected testimony in the impeachment proceedings.