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ni NIÑO ACLAN
HINDI man dumalo si Vice President Sara Zimmerman Duterte-Carpio tuloyang impeachment trial na gagawin ng Senate impeachment court.
“Kahit hindi siya dumalo (VP Duterte) at maging ang kaniyang defense team, kahit hindi pa mag-file ng answer, the trial will still continue,” pahayag ni Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro, itinalagang lead House impeachment prosecutor.
Sinabi ni Luistro, kung walang maitugon sa mga ebidensiya laban sa Articles of Impeachment ang defense team ni VP Sara, ang prosecution team na ang maghahain ng entry ng “plea of not guilty” sa impeachment.
Aniya, isa itong malaking kawalan kay VP Sara lalo na’t pinaniniwalaang matitibay ang ebidensiya laban sa kanya.
Para kay Manila Rep. Joel Chua, impeachment prosecutor, mayroong opsiyon si VP Sara na pumunta, abogado lamang ang papuntahin, o huwag sumali sa impeachment trial.
“The impeachment court issued a writ of summons because the writ of summons, dalawa ang purpose niyan. One is for the vice president to appear before the impeachment court and the other one for her to submit the answer within 10 days,” ani Chua.
“Well, that depends on the legal strategy of the defense. So that is not for us to decide. Right now, the vice president is not under our consideration to be our hostile witness,” pahayag ng solon.
Kapag naisumite na ang mga pleadings, sinabi ni Chua na isasagawa ang pre-trial proceedings para tukuyin ang mga ebidensiya at saksi na ipipresinta bago ang aktuwal na paglilitis.
“Now, in the event that the vice president did not appear in the impeachment trial or her lawyer did not appear or no answer was submitted, the trial will proceed anyway, and a plea of not guilty will be entered for the vice president,” paglilinaw ng solon.
Pormal nang nag-convene nitong Lunes, 18 Mayo, ang Senado bilang impeachment court. Nangyari ito matapos mapanatili ni Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano ang pamumuno at hindi natuloy ang higing na kontra-kudeta na sinabing ilulunsad ng grupo ng bagong minorya.
