President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has approved the release of vice-president Sara Duterte’s tax records to the Senate in her impeachment trial, where one of the charges she is facing is that she has amassed unexplained wealth while in office.
“They can be opened, availed of by the parties as part of their evidence,” Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro told Reuters on Thursday.
Duterte has previously denied wrongdoing and called the impeachment proceedings politically motivated.
The Senate, which is sitting as the impeachment court, will resume Duterte’s trial on Aug 3.
Under the law, presidential authorisation is required before the Bureau of Internal Revenue can release tax records.
The Senate had issued a subpoena for Duterte’s tax records but stopped short of ordering their release, saying disclosure must first comply with taxpayer confidentiality rules.
The Senate has also ordered banks and the Anti-Money Laundering Council to produce Duterte and her husband’s financial records. — Reuters
