Vice President Sara Duterte expressed strong confidence in her legal team’s ability to defeat the impeachment case filed against her, saying her lawyers are “more than confident” they will win.
In a GMA News Online report, Duterte revealed that she met with her lawyers shortly after returning to the Philippines from a weeks-long stay in the Netherlands.
“Ang aking impeachment, sinasabi ng mga lawyers, they are more than confident na mananalo sila sa impeachment. Ako naman, I am most confident with the lawyers working on my impeachment case,” Duterte said.
The Vice President is facing trial in the Senate after being impeached by the House of Representatives on February 5. More than 200 lawmakers supported the complaint, accusing Duterte of betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, and other high crimes.
Her legal team has already asked the Supreme Court to halt the proceedings. In her petition, Duterte argued that the House violated the one-year ban on filing multiple impeachment cases and committed “grave abuse of discretion.”
The Senate is expected to begin her impeachment trial by the end of July, with Senate President Chiz Escudero saying a decision may come by October. House prosecutor Iloilo Rep. Lorenz Defensor said their team will include experienced litigators who previously handled similar high-profile cases.
Duterte returned earlier this month from the Netherlands, where her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, is currently detained over alleged crimes against humanity.
