Philippine VP impeachment nears end as prosecutors stake case on unexplained wealth

Résumé détaillé

House prosecution chief says unexplained wealth charge the strongest; prosecutors say forensic analyst estimates $13 million in unexplained assets; conviction could remove Duterte from office and bar future public office

Philippine prosecutors are focusing their impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte on a single allegation of unexplained wealth, dropping three other charges, to try to conclude the trial by the end of this year before attention shifts to the 2028 election, the lead prosecutor said.

Duterte, daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte, has consistently led opinion polls for the next election, which President Ferdinand Marcos Jr cannot contest because he is limited to a single term.

A conviction could remove Duterte from office and disqualify her from holding public office, potentially ending her presidential bid. Duterte denies wrongdoing and has called the proceedings political harassment.

"We’re all in," on the unexplained wealth charge, Gerville Luistro, who leads the House prosecution panel, told Reuters on Tuesday, saying it was the strongest case and there was no need to pursue every charge.

"Impeachment fatigue is real," Luistro said, citing public weariness after investigations dating to 2024 and impeachment proceedings stretching from 2025 into this year.

Japhet Quitzon, an associate fellow with the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said dropping most of the charges, including Duterte's alleged threats against Marcos, the first lady and a former House Speaker, may have cost prosecutors a "significant piece of narrative."

Those threats, captured on video, raised questions beyond alleged financial wrongdoing to Duterte's conduct and suitability for the presidency.

Luistro said the charge ofunexplained wealth rested mainly on documentary evidence, including Duterte's statements of assets, liabilities and net worth, corporate financial statements, tax and property records, firearms registrations and financial transaction reports. She said that Duterte herself had prepared, signed and filed the asset declarations.

A forensic analyst has estimated 817 million pesos ($12.97 million) in unexplained assets, a figure…

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