Prosecutors verify VP Sara’s P98.6-M wealth, may call her to testify

House prosecutors are examining Vice President (V.P.) Sara Duterte’s declared net worth of roughly P98.6 million at the end of 2025 if it aligns with her legitimate income and financial records.

Speaking at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City, prosecution legal spokesperson and counsel Benjamin “Jay” Tolosa Jr. said prosecutors intend to give V.P. Duterte an opportunity to clarify her financial declarations, before the Senate impeachment court addresses potential discrepancies.

“We have an intention after this to call her as a witness to give her an opportunity to explain,” Mr. Tolosa Jr. said.

This inquiry falls under Article II of the Articles of Impeachment, which accuses her of unexplained wealth, inaccurate wealth declarations, and failing to divest from business interests while in office.

According to V.P. Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) provided by the Office of the Ombudsman, her declared net worth grew from ₱7.25 million during her first office as Davao city vice mayor, to ₱98.66 million last year.

Senate President and V.P. Duterte’s Impeachment Presiding Officer Francis “Chiz” Escudero previously ruled that records preceding her vice presidency in 2022—her first year in the position of V.P., can be used as “financial baseline,” rather than to be used as direct charges for impeachment.

In addition to this, prosecutors are evaluating whether V.P. Duterte’s wealth during her current term matches her lawful salary, tax returns, bank transactions, and commercial holdings using the baseline they have established.

Moreover, an Ombudsman official testified that V.P. Duterte listed no cash assets on hand or in banks from 2019 through 2025, despite previously declaring that she did. 

The witness further noted that several SALNs cited business interests without including their acquisition costs or the number of stock shares owned.

Accordingly, prosecutors are checking her tax and bank records to further verify the provided disclosures, including P6.77 billion in Anti-Money Laundering Council transactions linked to her and her husband, attorney Manases Carpio, from 2006 to 2025.

Furthermore, of the cumulative transaction volume—which reflects gross financial movements over nearly two decades rather than total net worth—P3.77 billion was tied to V.P. Duterte and P2.99 billion to Atty. Carpio. 

Legal spox. and counsel Tolosa Jr. noted that while bank and government officials can verify the records without the presence of the vice president, prosecutors may still call her to testify after presenting their evidence.

“The final decision on that would be made after we present all of our evidence,” Mr. Tolosa Jr. expressed.