Sara Duterte camp: Withdrawal of 3 articles of impeachment means allegations 'lacked basis'

The camp of Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday said the prosecution's withdrawal of three articles of impeachment on Tuesday is an admission that the allegations hurled against her lacked basis from the start.

"The withdrawal is an admission that the allegations lacked basis from the very beginning," Atty. Salvador Paolo Panelo Jr., spokesperson for Duterte, said in a statement.

"Yet, it is also an injustice and a denial of due process because it deprives the Vice President of the opportunity to confront these charges and present countervailing evidence in the proper forum, which is the Senate Impeachment Court," he said.

"More than that, it deprived her of the vindication of the acquittal she deserves if the Court ruled only on the basis of evidence and law," Panelo added.

The Senate impeachment court on Tuesday accepted the move by the House prosecution panel to withdraw three of the four Articles of Impeachment leveled against Duterte.

Senate impeachment court presiding officer Francis "Chiz" Escudero made the ruling after the prosecution told the Senate court that it will no longer pursue the three Articles of Impeachment and will only retain one: Article 2 on amassing of unexplained wealth due to failure to disclose assets in the Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) and non-divestment of business interests despite Constitutional prohibition. —KG, GMA News