Vice President Sara Duterte accuses impeachment prosecutors of fabricating evidence

In the Senate impeachment proceedings, Vice President Sara Duterte denounced the prosecution for creating evidence, saying the case is disintegrating. She reacted to a forensic analyst’s testimony that she and her husband, Manases "Mans" Carpio, possessed unexplained wealth exceeding P817 million between 2022 and 2025. A witness from the Anti-Money Laundering Council also cited a payment of P319 million to a company tied to Carpio from China and Hong Kong.

Duterte’s lawyers maintained that the AMLC records do not prove the money came from the Chinese government or was directly received by the couple. Duterte further asked whether doing business with China is prohibited on national-security grounds and suggested the impeachment drive is motivated by the upcoming 2028 elections. House prosecution panel member Jonathan Keith Flores said bribery charges were dropped to meet the court’s schedule.