Philippine prosecutors ask Senate to proceed with Duterte trial; case must go on due to severity of charges
Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte is facing removal from her post and a lifetime ban from office if convicted. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
MANILA (Bloomberg): Prosecutors at the Philippines' House of Representatives asked the Senate to proceed with Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial, saying she should be convicted and barred from politics.
Duterte this week asked the Senate, which sits as the impeachment court, to throw out her case, saying the House violated the constitutional ban on initiating impeachment proceedings against the same official more than once within a year.
Prosecutors said Duterte's arguments were "baseless' and that her only legal strategy is "to have the case dismissed and avoid trial,' according to a copy of their official response sent to the Senate on Friday.
They asked the Senate to convict Duterte, remove her from office and "order her perpetual disqualification from holding any public office.'
The vice president is facing charges that include misusing public funds and plotting to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. after their alliance collapsed. She has denied the allegations.
At least two-thirds of the 24-member Senate needs to vote to convict Duterte, a top contender for the 2028 presidential election, when Marcos must step down after a constitutionally limited six-year term.
"No bloodbath is necessary. Let the trial begin,' the prosecutors said.
-- ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
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