Duterte defense claims confidential fund recipients used aliases

MANILA — The defense team for Vice President Sara Duterte presented a fresh argument in her ongoing impeachment trial, contending that names appearing on acknowledgment receipts for confidential fund disbursements represent aliases rather than actual identities of fund recipients.

Defense counsel Justin Gular made the assertion during Monday's proceedings when questioned by a senator-judge about the authenticity of signatures on the receipts. This marked the first time since impeachment hearings commenced in July that the defense has explicitly challenged the legitimacy of the names documented in the confidential fund records.

The development represents a notable tactical turn in the trial, which has centered on questions regarding the Vice President's use and management of confidential intelligence funds during her tenure as Davao City mayor and as an official of the executive branch. The use of aliases by fund recipients, if proven, could significantly alter the trajectory of the impeachment case.

The trial continues as both prosecution and defense present evidence and arguments before the Senate acting as an impeachment court. The confidential fund documentation has remained a central point of contention throughout the proceedings.