Ridon: Prosecution received pretrial order, ready for July 6

MANILA, Philippines — The prosecution team for the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte is ready for the start of the trial at the Senate Impeachment Court, Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon said on Tuesday.

Ridon in an online interview said that the prosecution continues to prepare for the first day of trial on July 6, Monday, as witnesses are expected to be presented soon.

“The prosecution is ready for the start of the trial, so in the coming days we are preparing for the first day of the trial and for the presentation of witnesses in the coming weeks,” Ridon, a member of the public prosecution team, said.

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“So that is what the prosecution panel is finalizing for this week,” he added.

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READ: Impeached anew: House OKs articles vs Sara Duterte again with 257 votes

Ridon also confirmed that the panel has received the pretrial order, which includes the stipulation of facts, the list of witnesses, and the pieces of evidence marked by both sides.

“The House prosecution panel has received the pretrial order, and most of what we expect to be included in the pretrial order was present,” he said.

“That includes the list of witnesses, all the exhibits, and the facts of marking and common witnesses, along with the sequencing for the presentation of evidence and the number of trial dates, all of these are in the pretrial order,” he added.

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According to Ridon, they will provide a comment to the pretrial order before the start of the trial on Monday, which will contain observations or clarifications regarding the document.

“So in the next couple of days the prosecution panel will give a comment on the pretrial order itself.  So hopefully we will get to submit it within this week,” he said.

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“If there are additional clarifications or if we have further requests, these will be mentioned by the prosecution panel in our comment. We will be commenting because the impeachment court asked for a comment from the prosecution and the defense. So I think we can mention in it our clarifications,” he added.

Last May 11, Duterte was impeached for a second time after 257 House lawmakers voted in favor of adopting House Resolution (HR) No. 989 which contains the Articles of Impeachment. Only 25 members voted against it, while nine abstained.

The articles were hinged on Duterte’s alleged misuse of confidential funds lodged within the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Office of the Vice President, OVP, amassing of unexplained wealth disproportionate to her income, bribery of DepEd officials using monetary gifts or payments, and threats to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and the former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.

Last June 9, the Senate Impeachment Court issued a notice inviting the parties to the pretrial conference which started last June 18.

According to the notice, the pretrial conference is held to resolve the following matters before the trial proper:

Stipulation of facts and simplification of issues;

Marking of documentary or real evidence and waiver of objections or admissions on evidence;

Number and identification of witnesses;

Setting of trial dates;

The proposed sequence for the presentation of evidence and possible modification of the order of trial; and

Such other matters as will promote a fair and expeditious trial of the case

READ: Senate invites parties, sets June 18 impeachment pre-trial conference

The pretrial conference was concluded last Thursday, with both parties finishing with the marking of evidence.  On Monday, copies of the pretrial order came out, stating that the Senate Impeachment Court has approved the 92 trial days proposed by the prosecution and the defense teams, who will also share 17 witnesses.

“The proposed number of trial dates is 62 for the prosecution and 30 for the respondents,” the order stated.

READ: Senate impeachment court OKs 92 trial days, 17 shared witnesses

Trial begins on July 6 at 2 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays until July 27.  After that, the trial shall begin at 3 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays until its termination. /das

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