Hindi na ihaharap ng House prosecution bilang testigo sina Atty. Zuleika Lopez at Capt. Belinda Bello sa impeachment trial ni Vice President Sara Duterte.
Sa pagtatapos ng Day 5 ng paglilitis nitong Martes, sinabi ni private prosecutor Atty. Lorna Kapunan na hindi na kailangan o corroborative lamang ang kanilang testimonya sa Article IV.
Nabuo ang desisyon matapos suriin ng prosecution ang testimonya at documentary evidence na iniharap sa pamamagitan ng National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) officials na sina John Mark Calilung at Jeremy Lotoc.
“It is the wisdom of the public prosecutors, as expressed through this representation, that we find it totally unnecessary, redundant and a surplusage to still present Atty. Zuleika Lopez and, as well, Capt. Belinda Bello,” ani Kapunan.
Chief of staff ni Duterte si Lopez, habang executive director ng House Legislative Security Bureau si Bello.
Tatlong bagay sana ang patutunayan sa pamamagitan ni Lopez kaugnay ng online press conference ng Vice President noong November 23, 2024.
Magtetestigo sana si Lopez na nasa House detention center siya nang gawin ni Duterte ang mga pahayag na nasa video na minarkahang Exhibit P-4-10. Layon din sanang patunayan na may media personnel na nakarinig sa mga sinabi ng Vice President at kumpirmahin ang authenticity at provenance ng recording.
Hindi na siya kailangan sa unang layunin matapos kilalanin ng defense counsel na si Mark Vinluan na naganap ang press conference, naroon sina Duterte at Lopez, at ginawa ng Vice President ang mga pahayag na narinig sa recording. Tinututulan naman ng depensa ang interpretasyon ng prosecution sa mga sinabi ni Duterte.
“No need to present Atty. Lopez for this purpose,” ani Kapunan.
Hindi na rin kailangan ang testimonya ni Lopez sa authentication dahil ginamit mismo ng depensa ang bahagi ng video sa presentasyon nito.
“Totally unnecessary because, why? Because the defense themselves used the very same video, that exhibit, in their defense when they showed Atty. Zuleika crying and allegedly complaining about the violation of her human rights,” sinabi ni Kapunan.
“So by their own admission, there is no question about this video,” dagdag niya.
Si Bello naman sana ang magpapatibay sa ebidensiya tungkol sa transfer order kay Lopez sa loob ng House detention facility bago ang online press conference.
“The testimony of Capt. Belinda Bello is merely corroborative. She would have been presented only to corroborate the fact that there was a transfer order made in the detention center and that transfer order had been the subject of the video or press conference of November 23, 2024,” ani Kapunan.
Saklaw ng Article IV ang mga pahayag ni Duterte laban kina Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos at noo’y Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.
“We have reduced trial dates by lessening our presentation on this article by two witnesses,” ani Kapunan. /Bistado