Prosecutors in the Philippines have withdrawn three of the four impeachment charges against Vice President Sara Duterte, leaving allegations of unexplained wealth as the remaining issue before the Senate impeachment court. The Senate approved the prosecution’s request on Tuesday, narrowing the proceedings in a case that could affect Duterte’s political future and her reported ambitions to contest the presidency in 2028.
Lead prosecutor Gerville Luistro told the court that the decision to drop the three charges was intended to streamline the trial and focus the senators’ attention on the remaining allegation. She maintained that the evidence already presented was substantial and compelling enough to justify Duterte’s removal from office.
The withdrawn charges accused Duterte of misusing confidential funds, engaging in bribery and making alleged threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the first lady and a former speaker of the House of Representatives. The prosecution argued that concentrating on the unexplained wealth allegation would reduce the issues before the court and make the proceedings more manageable for senators, the vice president and the public.
Duterte’s legal team opposed the move, arguing that withdrawing the charges was unfair because it would prevent the defence from presenting its case against allegations that had already been brought before the court.
The vice president’s office had not immediately issued a response to the development.
The impeachment trial began in July, with prosecutors presenting evidence over allegations that Duterte betrayed public trust, violated the Constitution and committed graft, bribery and other high crimes. The proceedings have also been shaped by an earlier Senate ruling that only senator-judges able to participate in the trial would be counted when determining whether the required votes for conviction had been secured.
Under the applicable rules, a conviction requires the support of at least two-thirds of the senator-judges counted in the vote. If convicted, Duterte could be removed from office and disqualified from holding public office, potentially preventing her from pursuing the presidency in the 2028 elections.
