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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Plunder, malversation raps can still be filed vs VP Duterte if senator-judges acquit her--Bucoy

Plunder, malversation raps can still be filed vs VP Duterte if senator-judges acquit her--Bucoy

Published Jun 19, 2025 07:25 pm

At A Glance

  • Criminal charges, including plunder and malversation, can still be filed against Vice President Sara Duterte even if she gets acquitted by the Senate impeachment court.
House prosecution panel spokesman Antonio Bucoy (left), Vice President Sara Duterte (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)
House prosecution panel spokesman Antonio Bucoy (left), Vice President Sara Duterte (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)


Criminal charges, including plunder and malversation, can still be filed against Vice President Sara Duterte even if she gets acquitted by the Senate impeachment court.
House prosecution panel spokesman, lawyer Antonio Bucoy gave this reminder to the Vice President's camp in an interview Thursday, June 19.
Whether mahusgahan siya ng guilty or not guilty, kahiit ho ma-acquit yan, bukas pa rin yung pinto para litisin siya for plunder, malversation, bribery and so on. Very specific ho yan sa Constitution, Bucoy, a seasoned litigant of over 40 years, said.
(Whether she's judged guilty or not guilty, even if she's acquitted, the door remains open to prosecute him for plunder, malversation, bribery, and so on. That's something very specifically in the Constitution.)
A judgement of not guilty will not bar the government from suing or charging the impeached official for liabilities for plunder, violation of RA (Republic Act) No. 3019 as amended for malversation under the Revised Penal Code and so on, he said, referring to the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
The 11-person House prosecution team believes that it can get a conviction against Vice President Duterte based on the seven articles of impeachment that it submitted to the Senate last Feb. 5.
It needs a two-thirds vote from the senator-judges to get a conviction; this has been perceived as a tall order given the number of Duterte allies in the currenty 23-member Senate.
Among the allegations lodged against Duterte is the malversation of P612.5 million worth of confidential funds.
Bucoy says the Constitution provides for impeachment as a mechanism for accountability against public officials.
Wala ho dyang kulong, walang civil damages. Mas mahirap po yung ano, yung parusa dyan, removal from public office and perpetual disqualification from public office (You won't get penalized with a jail sentence or civil damages. The heftier penalty there is removal from public office and perpetual disqualification from public office), he explained.
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