MANILA – The House prosecution team will begin presenting evidence next week on Vice President Sara Z. Duterte’s alleged unexplained wealth, with more than 1,800 financial documents and up to 25 potential witnesses lined up for the presentation.

Former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV is among those expected to testify, while other potential witnesses include Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla or his representative, as well as officials or authorized representatives of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

“Ayoko namang pangunahan iyong team kung sino or ano iyong order of witnesses, pero Trillanes is coming,” Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega V said during a press briefing Wednesday.

Ortega, who endorsed one of the impeachment complaints that formed the basis of the Articles of Impeachment now on trial, described the upcoming presentation as potentially one of the strongest portions of the prosecution’s case.

“This will be one of the strongest. And if ibe-base n’yo nga po doon sa Committee on Justice hearings before, ito iyong parang ano, noong time na na-present iyong mga records na ito, ito iyong parang time na nanlamig iyong buong hearing,” Ortega said.

“So again, this will be explosive, this will be exciting, at patuloy po nating panoorin ang impeachment trial,” the La Union lawmaker said.

House prosecutor and Manila Rep. Joel Chua said the prosecution would shift to Article II after completing its presentation on Duterte’s alleged misuse of confidential funds under Article I.

“By next week sisimulan na po natin ang presentation ng unexplained wealth,” Chua said.

Article II accuses Duterte of betrayal of public trust for allegedly accumulating wealth disproportionate to her lawful income and failing to fully and truthfully disclose the assets and liabilities of herself and her spouse in their Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs).

The prosecution has cited Duterte’s SALNs from 2019 to 2024, including her 2024 SALN, which declared a net worth of about PHP88.5 million and zero cash on hand or in banks.

It has also presented an AMLC report covering 663 transactions involving Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio, with an aggregate value of about PHP6.77 billion.

Of the total, transactions amounting to about PHP3.77 billion were linked to Duterte, while about PHP2.99 billion were attributed to Carpio.

The prosecution has obtained subpoenaed bank records and BIR tax records involving Duterte, Carpio and companies linked to them. Prosecutors intend to compare these records with their SALNs and the AMLC information as they build their Article II case.

Chua said House prosecutors Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon and Akbayan Party-list Rep. Chel Diokno, who are handling the unexplained wealth charge, are considering around 10 witnesses in addition to as many as 15 bank representatives.

The number of witnesses could still be reduced if the defense agrees to stipulations concerning bank records or if the prosecution determines that further testimony would only be corroborative.

“Dahil nga sa volume ng bank record, we will explore that option to stipulate para mas mapabilis,” Chua said.

The prosecution is also preparing more than 1,800 bank, tax and other financial documents. It has served Duterte’s defense with 104 requests for admission concerning, among other matters, the authenticity of subpoenaed bank records and ownership of accounts identified in those documents.

Chua described Trillanes as an important witness, noting that some financial information he previously presented during House Committee on Justice proceedings was cross-checked against AMLC records.

“Yes, mahalaga po iyong magiging testimonya ni Senator Trillanes,” Chua said.

The prosecution is likewise keeping open the possibility of calling Duterte herself as a witness, although Chua said its case would remain strong whether or not she takes the witness stand.