House wants Duterte’s tax records unveiled in impeachment pretrial

MANILA, Philippines – The House prosecution panel requested the unveiling of Vice President Sara Duterte’s sealed tax records during the ongoing pretrial conference, public prosecutor and Mamayang Liberal Rep. Leila de Lima said on Wednesday.

De Lima confirmed that the prosecution panel requested the opening of the sealed Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) box, which contains Duterte’s tax records, that may be included as evidence of Duterte’s alleged unexplained wealth during the trial.

“This is the proper stage where it may need to be opened to have an inventory of the contents of the particular BIR box,” De Lima told the media.

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“We think that will also aid in a more efficient and more expeditious conduct of the trial if it can be opened now during the stage of pretrial,” she added.

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READ: Pretrial for Duterte’s impeachment trial reaches 4th day on Wednesday

The decision on the House’s manifestation will be up to the Senate, acting as the impeachment court.

Currently, the pretrial is on its fourth day, with the marking of documents for Article I, referring to Duterte’s supposed misuse of confidential funds, and Article II, pertaining to the vice president’s alleged unexplained wealth.

When the House committee on justice was conducting hearings on Duterte’s impeachment, it issued a subpoena to the BIR to present the tax records of the vice president, her husband, and their firms.

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However, the majority of the panel’s members voted against opening the box, citing a provision in the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC) that protects taxpayers’ privacy.

During the hearing, BIR Commissioner Charlito Mendoza noted that, under the NIRC, taxpayer documents may only be examined during an executive session. He also said there is no provision requiring tax documents to be disclosed during impeachment proceedings. /mcm

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