Escudero lauds Poa, Diokno for ‘calm’ oral arguments on VP’s tax records

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero, who presides over the impeachment court, on Wednesday lauded the “calm” oral arguments between Vice President Sara Duterte’s defense counsel and a House prosecutor panel member.

Escudero made the remark after Duterte’s counsel and impeachment spokesperson Michael Poa and Akbayan Rep. Chel Diokno debated if the impeachment court could subpoena the vice president’s bank and tax records during her trial.

Before the court went into recess, Escudero said: “I would like to state on the record that I congratulate both sides, particularly Honorable Diokno and Attorney Poa, for a calm, gentle, gentlemanly, and respectful discourse and debate regarding what we consider to be a controversial issue.”

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READ: Duterte impeachment: Defense, prosecution clash on bank, tax secrecy

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Diokno and Poa were seen shaking hands after their arguments.

The prosecution’s request for the impeachment court to issue subpoenas for Duterte’s bank and tax records led to the oral arguments of Diokno and Poa.

READ: WATCH: Diokno defends bid to subpoena Sara Duterte’s bank, tax records

During his argument, Poa cited laws that prohibit the disclosure of bank and tax records, such as the Anti-Money Laundering Act, including the Anti-Money Laundering Council’s General Principles of Information Exchange, the National Internal Revenue Code, and the Law on Secrecy of Bank Deposits.

In response, Diokno said that the laws Poa cited do not explicitly bar the impeachment court from obtaining bank and tax records. /cb

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