Philippines’ Marcos approves release of V-P Duterte’s tax records for impeachment trial

MANILA – Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has approved the release of Vice-President Sara Duterte’s tax records to the Senate in her impeachment trial, where one of the charges she is facing is that she has amassed unexplained wealth while in office.“They can be opened, availed of by the parties as part of their evidence,” Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro told Reuters in a message on July 30.Duterte’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Duterte has previously denied wrongdoing and called the impeachment proceedings politically motivated.The Senate, which is sitting as the impeachment court, will resume her trial on Aug 3.Under the law, presidential authorisation is required before the Bureau of Internal Revenue can release confidential tax records.The Senate has issued a subpoena for Duterte’s tax records but stopped short of ordering their release, saying disclosure must first comply with taxpayer confidentiality rules.It has also ordered banks and the Anti-Money Laundering Council to produce financial records related to Duterte and her husband.Duterte is facing an impeachment trial over allegations of misuse of public funds, unexplained wealth, bribery, corruption and threats against Marcos, the First Lady and a former House speaker.A conviction, which requires the votes of at least 16 of the Senate’s 24 members, could derail Duterte’s planned 2028 presidential bid.Marcos and Duterte, ​scions of two of the country’s most powerful political dynasties, ​ran on a joint ticket and won the 2022 election in a landslide, but their ‌alliance ⁠collapsed into acrimony. REUTERS