Ridon: Duterte defense witnesses may bolster unexplained wealth allegations

The witnesses lined up by Vice President Sara Duterte’s defense could end up strengthening the prosecution’s case on her alleged unexplained wealth, public prosecutor and Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon said.

Ridon said bank officials would have difficulty disputing information contained in official financial records, which the prosecution has presented during the impeachment trial.

“There is a chance that when they present their bank witnesses that our allegations on unexplained wealth will be strengthened. It can really happen,” Ridon said at a media forum over the weekend.

He said the contents of bank account statements would not change regardless of whether the defense calls a bank manager, branch manager, bank official or bank lawyer to testify.

“What needs to be understood here is, whether they call a bank manager, branch manager, bank official or bank lawyer, the contents of the bank account do not change,” he stressed.

Ridon also said the defense could face difficulty disputing evidence concerning Duterte’s alleged business interests, particularly since the documents came from company submissions to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

His remarks came as Duterte’s camp identified corporate secretaries from Metro City Chow Foods Corporation and GenCorp Industries Inc. as potential witnesses for the coming week.

Ridon said prosecutors could ask the witnesses about Duterte’s alleged involvement in company dealings with the Davao City government, which is led by her brother, Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte.

He also questioned why GenCorp was listed in Duterte’s Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) despite SEC records purportedly not identifying her as a stakeholder.

“I can’t understand how [the defense] would explain the Vice President’s admissions in her SALN that she is a stockholder of GenCorp...in the SEC documents, her name is not there,” he said.

With the defense scheduled to begin presenting counter-evidence on 9 November, Ridon said Duterte could face further questions during the prosecution’s cross-examination.

“Honestly, we from the prosecution believe that there would be more pressure on the Vice President on these particular questions,” he said.

Duterte’s lawyers are defending her against Article II of the impeachment complaint, the only one retained by the prosecution from the four initial articles.

The defense has indicated plans to present 24 witnesses in the coming week.