Impeachment court grants subpoenas for Sara Duterte’s bank, tax records

The Senate opened the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte convening as an impeachment court with 21 senator-judges present in the session hall, on July 6, 2026. Senate Social Media Unit The financial records are among the evidence that the House prosecutors intend to use to prove the Vice President's alleged unexplained wealth MANILA, Philippines – The Senate impeachment court on Monday, July 20, granted the prosecution’s request issue to subpoenas for the bank and tax records of Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband, Mans Carpio. Senate impeachment court presiding officer Chiz Escudero announced the ruling after lengthy oral arguments. Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Rodante Marcoleta are both in jail for separate plunder charges, while Senator Bato dela Rosa remains in hiding as he evaded an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court over alleged crimes against humanity linked to Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war. The financial records are among the evidence that the House prosecutors intend to use to prove Duterte’s alleged unexplained wealth. During a House justice committee hearing on the impeachment complaints against Duterte, it was revealed that total of P6.77 billion in large and suspicious transactions flowed through the bank accounts the couple from 2006 to 2025, dwarfing the amounts declared by Duterte in her Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN). At the House hearing, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) complied with the panel’s subpoena to produce the couple’s tax records, but the box containing the documents was left opened after it was argued at the time that this may be in violation of the tax code. Duterte’s defense team had argued that the request for subpoenas was illegal, “oppressive, unreasonable, and violative of the right of the respondent and her spouse to due process.” Citing exceptions in the Bank Secrecy Law and other regulations, the House prosecutors believed that the financial documents in question can be accessed because they will be used in an impeachment process, which is a unique constitutional proceeding aimed at public accountability. When Duterte’s trial began on July 6, impeachment court presiding officer Chiz Escudero ordered that the BIR box be returned to the BIR, still unopened. He explained that the impeachment court had not subpoenaed the tax records contained in the box and was therefore not yet in their legal custody. On Wednesday, July 15, the Senate-impeachment court held a closed-door caucus lasting more than an hour without a ruling. Escudero said at the time that the senator-judges wanted more time to decide on it. This is a developing story. Refresh this page for updates. – Rappler.com How does this make you feel? Loading