Prosecution rests plunder case vs Marcoleta

State prosecutors formally ended their presentation of witnesses on Thursday in the plunder case against Sen. Rodante Marcoleta over his alleged receipt of P75 million in campaign donations in 2025.

The prosecution rested its case after nearly an hour of arguments over whether two remaining witnesses should still be presented.

Marcoleta’s lawyers had sought to exclude Pasig Regional Trial Court Clerk of Court Atty. Lucia Paula Corrales and Atty. Cecil Federizo, who was involved in the notarization of deeds of donation submitted by three of Marcoleta’s donors.

Defense lawyer Atty. David Gabriel invoked attorney-client privilege for Federizo, saying she had also served as Marcoleta’s counsel at the time.

Prosecutor Joshua Tan countered that privilege did not automatically bar Federizo from taking the stand and could instead be invoked through objections during testimony.

Associate Justice Fritz Delos Santos also questioned the materiality of the two witnesses after both sides had already stipulated during bail hearings that the notarized documents were authentic.

Tan said prosecutors wanted to explore alleged irregularities in the notarization process.

“We have noticed that all entries on that day is done by a single person using a ballpen except for three documents which pertain to the deeds of donation by accused Marcoleta and his co-accused,” Tan said.

Defense lawyers accused prosecutors of embarking on a “fishing expedition,” arguing that the witnesses were being called despite uncertainty over what they would testify about.

The dispute was eventually resolved after both sides agreed to stipulate that the documents were “authentic, genuine, and duly executed,” with Corrales identified as their custodian.

Tan later told reporters that the prosecution had completed its witness presentation and would submit its formal offer of evidence on 15 October.

The trial resumes on 19 October, when the defense is expected to begin presenting its own evidence.

Gabriel said the defense was still finalizing its witness list, with Marcoleta himself among those being considered.