Prosecution pulls former senator Trillanes as witness in Duterte impeachment

On Thursday, prosecutors told the impeachment court they are dropping former senator Antonio Trillanes IV as a witness in the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. The move was announced by prosecutor Jinky Luistro, who offered no explanation for the reversal. Trillanes had in 2016 released documents that revealed extensive bank transactions involving then-presidential hopeful Rodrigo Duterte and his relatives.

During the House-led impeachment hearings, those records were found to align with data from the Anti-Money Laundering Council, which reported P6.7 billion in large and suspicious transactions through the accounts of Sara Duterte and her husband Mans Carpio between 2006 and 2025. That sum starkly contrasts with the vice president’s reported net worth of over P90 million in 2025. The omission of Trillanes’ testimony could affect the evidentiary basis of the impeachment case, and further developments are expected.