Senate impeachment court Presiding Officer Francis “Chiz” Escudero joked that prosecutors may have been “ghosted” by Vice President Sara Duterte’s defense team over efforts to schedule a comparison of thousands of acknowledgment receipts linked to confidential funds.

Private prosecutor Lorna Kapunan told the court Tuesday that the prosecution repeatedly tried to arrange the court-directed comparison of 4,492 acknowledgment receipts but received no timely response from the defense.

“On Thursday, we waited the whole day. ‘When will we meet? It’s Thursday today, tomorrow’s Friday. Our witness will be on board on Monday.’ There was no answer the whole day of Thursday, your honor,” Kapunan said.

She said the defense replied at 5:38 p.m. and proposed 14 August, which prosecutors considered too late for their planned presentation of the documents.

“August 14, what good will that do us?” Kapunan said, accusing the defense of acting in “bad faith.”

Escudero then quipped that the prosecution appeared to have been “ghosted” by Duterte’s camp.

Kapunan said prosecutors even approached the defense about comparing the documents an hour before the trial but were turned down.

The acknowledgment receipts were submitted to the Commission on Audit by the Office of the Vice President and Department of Education in connection with their use of confidential funds.

The dispute arose after defense lawyers questioned how state auditor Xylene Mae del Campo authenticated the documents, saying she was merely “flipping through pages.”

Escudero subsequently ordered the parties to compare the documents under the supervision of impeachment court clerk Renato Bantug Jr.

Defense lawyer Kristine Ferrer said Duterte’s camp would allow summaries of the documents to be presented and challenge their authenticity when prosecutors formally offer them as evidence. She said a document comparison was unnecessary and could further delay proceedings.

The receipts and Del Campo’s testimony form part of the prosecution’s evidence under Article I, involving Duterte’s alleged misuse of confidential funds.