Sara: I have no feelings about impeachment

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte was mum after the House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted to impeach her for the second time, launching the transmittal of the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate for trial.

“I have no feelings about the impeachment,” Duterte said this week in an interview in The Hague, Netherlands.

“A spokesperson and defense team have already been assigned for the impeachment. And that is a legal process. So, we’ll just leave it to the spokesperson and the lawyers to comment,” Duterte added.

Two hundred fifty-seven House members voted to have Duterte impeached, against the 25 votes from her allies. Nine voted to abstain.

Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano assured the public yesterday that the upper chamber would not delay the impeachment trial of Duterte, once the Articles of Impeachment are officially transmitted by the House.

In an interview with NewsWatch, Michael Poa, spokesperson for the 16-man defense team of Duterte, maintained that the legal team is prepared for a full-blown trial.

Poa contradicted the claim of some lawmakers that the “smoking gun” evidence against Duterte was the alleged unexplained wealth and the documents presented by Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).

Carpio adds SEC,  IC to complaint

Duterte’s husband Manases Carpio added the heads of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Insurance Commission (IC) as respondents in a criminal complaint over the alleged illegal disclosure of bank records.

In an addendum filed with the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office yesterday, SEC Chairman Francis Edralin Lim and IC Commissioner Reynaldo Regalado were named as additional respondents.

Carpio alleged the AMLC leaked private transactions including insurance payments, time deposits, investments and utility bills in violation of money laundering, bank secrecy and data privacy laws.

Under the Anti-Money Laundering Act, the council is composed of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) governor as chairman and the heads of the IC and the SEC as members.

He claimed the officials conspired to divulge confidential financial information during a House committee on justice hearing on April 22.

Carpio had initially filed a complaint against BSP Governor and AMLC chairman Eli Remolona Jr., AMLC executive director Ronel Buenaventura, lawmakers Gerville Reyes-Luistro, Percival Cendaña, Jose Manuel Diokno and Leila de Lima and several John and Jane does.

Carpio said that as the law requires the AMLC to act unanimously, the council members are responsible for the public testimony of Buenaventura. He cited reply-letters from Lim and Regalado as evidence that the disclosure occurred with their prior knowledge.

“The AMLC maintains that its actions are undertaken strictly in accordance with the law and its institutional mandate,” Lim said in a reply-letter dated May 4, according to the filing.

Regalado also replied in correspondence that the council’s actions fell within the bounds of its legal authority.

Carpio contended that these responses prove the disclosure of his and his wife’s bank records was authorized by the full council.