The Senate impeachment court is moving to settle how sensitive Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) records will be presented in Vice President Sara Duterte’s trial without opening another constitutional dispute that could send the proceedings back to the Supreme Court (SC).

Impeachment court spokesperson Regie Tongol said Thursday afternoon that senator-judges are studying how the financial records may be presented while balancing the constitutional demand for accountability with confidentiality provisions under the Anti-Money Laundering Act.

“So yun po yung kanina nilang napagkasunduan para wala na pong constitutional issues na maaaring umakyat pa sa Korte Suprema na maaaring makaantala na naman sa ating proceedings (That was what they agreed on earlier so that there would be no constitutional issues that could reach the Supreme Court and again delay our proceedings),” Tongol said.

The question is expected to be tackled when the trial resumes Monday, ahead of the presentation of AMLC Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura.

The defense on Thursday secured a deferment of Buenaventura’s testimony after receiving summaries of voluminous AMLC records only at about 11:20 a.m., giving it time to compare the figures with the underlying documents. The records reportedly fill two boxes.

The deferment came as the prosecution and defense differed over confidentiality restrictions covering AMLC information.

Tongol noted, however, that the admissibility of the AMLC records is no longer the issue after presiding officer Francis “Chiz” Escudero previously allowed their subpoena.

Instead, senator-judges are considering how the records and Buenaventura’s testimony should be presented, including whether portions should be redacted or withheld from public display.

An executive session was also floated during discussions, although Tongol said the idea has yet to gain traction and some senator-judges oppose it.

Tongol said the court is trying to balance the public accountability requirement under Article XI of the Constitution with AMLC confidentiality rules without unnecessarily disrupting the presentation of evidence.

The court had earlier looked to the procedures used during the impeachment trials of former president Joseph Estrada and late chief justice Renato Corona in dealing with sensitive financial records.

Tongol said senator-judges could settle the manner of presenting the AMLC evidence before Monday’s proceedings or take up the matter briefly in open court before Buenaventura takes the witness stand.

Ultimately, he said, the majority of the senator-judges will determine how the sensitive records will be handled. (PNA) | (PNA photo by Avito Dalan)