NBI chief Matibag skips Bangkok summit due to Duterte impeachment trial

MANILA, Philippines — National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag said Thursday that he will no longer attend a regional summit in Bangkok, Thailand, as he is scheduled to appear as a witness in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte on July 21.

The regional summit on transnational crime, hosted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Royal Thai Police, will take place on July 21 and 22.

READ: Matibag to Cayetano: ‘I’m not dictating impeachment court’

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“We’re not going there anymore,” Matibag told reporters in an ambush interview.

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The NBI director also said he sent a representative from the bureau to attend the summit.

Matibag recently sent a letter to Chief Impeachment Prosecutor and Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro asking that his testimony before the Senate impeachment court be scheduled before July 20 due to the regional summit.

READ: Matibag: Probing 2019 SEA Games complex has nothing to do with Cayetano

However, the Senate impeachment court on Monday set his testimony for July 21.

The prosecution wants to present Matibag on Article IV of the Articles of Impeachment, which covers the vice president’s threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez. /mcm

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