Impeachment court returns Sara Duterte's alleged tax records to BIR

MANILA, Philippines—The Senate, acting as an impeachment court, has ordered the return of a sealed box purportedly containing Vice President Sara Duterte’s tax records to the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), saying there had been no directive to turn over it to the court.

“In so far as the BIR box is concerned, this box was turned over to the Senate as part of the documents including the Articles of Impeachment,” the court’s presiding officer, Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero, noted on Monday.

“However, the court is not yet in custodial legis of this box, given that there’s no lawful order issued by the court for this box to be turned over to the Senate,” he explained.

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“The chair, therefore, orders that the BIR box—closed, sealed and as it received— be sent back to the BIR or the Bureau of Internal Revenue without prejudice to any action that the court may take if a motion will be filed by either parties for the issuance of a subpoena, and we shall await action, if any, by the BIR commissioner should that time come. So ordered,” Escudero remarked.

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According to the presiding officer, the sealed box is currently at the office of Senate Secretary and Impeachment Clerk of Court Renato Bantug.

Bantug earlier told the media that the BIR box, along with other documents, were transmitted to the chamber on May 13 when Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano was still the Senate president.

Escudero said the box should be sent back to the BIR by Tuesday morning “in the condition that it was received.”

“Meaning, sealed,” the presiding officer stressed, responding to Senator-judge Joel Villanueva’s query.

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Senate Secretary and Impeachment Clerk of Court Renato Bantug earlier told the media that the BIR box was sent to the Senate, along with other documents transmitted to the chamber on May 13, when Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano was still the Senate president.

A bid to open the BIR box during a House committee on justice’s hearing on the impeachment case against Duterte lost as 38 lawmakers voted against it, while only six favored a motion by Mamamayang Rep. Leila de Lima.

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At that time, de Lima argued that it was within the mandate of the justice panel “to open the box and examine the contents of the box.”

“These are relevant to the issues at hand, to the ground of unexplained wealth,” the lawmaker said then.

Duterte has been accused, among others, of amassing unexplained wealth. /apl

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