House leaders: VP Duterte bank records may be subpoenaed in impeachment

House leaders said Wednesday that the bank records of Vice President Sara Duterte may now be subpoenaed and examined after the House Committee on Justice found the impeachment complaint against her sufficient in substance.

Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro, chairperson of the justice panel, said impeachment proceedings are among the exceptions to the Bank Secrecy Law.

“You will remember that one of the exceptions to the Bank Secrecy Law is an impeachment proceeding. This impeachment proceeding is an exception to the Bank Secrecy Law, which means we can look in to the records of the bank account of the Vice President,” Luistro said.

Luistro made the remark when asked whether issuing a subpoena for Duterte’s bank records would violate existing laws.

Section 2 of the Bank Secrecy Act provides that bank deposits are confidential, except in certain cases including impeachment proceedings.

Luistro said the committee can act if complainants file a motion seeking the issuance of subpoenas.

“There are complainants, and if they will be filing a motion for the issuance of the subpoena duces tecum, that is with regards to the relevant documents, and even subpoena ad testificandum for the attendance of significant witnesses, we will act on their motion,” she said.

House Senior Deputy Minority Leader Leila de Lima of the ML party-list agreed with Luistro’s position.

De Lima said examining the Vice President’s bank records is appropriate given that one of the allegations in the impeachment complaint involves the accumulation of unexplained wealth that is allegedly disproportionate to her declared assets.

The former justice secretary said the House justice committee should also subpoena Duterte’s statements of assets, liabilities and net worth from her time as mayor and vice mayor of Davao City.

She added that the committee would be within its authority to require the submission of the Vice President’s bank records as part of the impeachment proceedings.