By Ivy Tejano
DAVAO CITY – Vice President Sara Duterte’s legal team will be asking the Taguig City Prosecutor’s Office to consolidate two perjury complaints filed against Ramil Madriaga and resolve them in a single proceeding.
Speaking in a virtual press briefing on Wednesday, August 19, lawyer Paolo Panelo said the second complaint is related to the first and addresses new claims made by Madriaga in his supplemental affidavit.
Panelo said they are hoping for consolidation because handling both complaints together would be more efficient since the allegations and evidence are related.
“Instead of having two separate proceedings, let us just have one proceeding because the allegations are related, and the evidence is also connected,” Panelo said in a local dialect.
Panelo said the first perjury complaint has already been submitted for resolution, while the second was filed in response to new details included in Madriaga’s supplemental affidavit.
The Duterte camp plans to formally request that the Taguig City Prosecutor’s Office consolidate the cases. The camp, however, also acknowledged that prosecutors may reject the request.
According to Duterte’s legal counsel, if the motion is denied, the first complaint could be resolved separately from the second case.
Panelo said the second complaint also strengthens the evidence previously submitted in the first case.
The new filing includes five additional affidavits, bringing the total number of corroborating witness affidavits used in the two complaints to 12.
Panelo said the legal team has also provided Duterte’s impeachment defense team with copies of the second complaint and its supporting evidence for possible use in the Senate impeachment proceedings.
The lawyer said that Ramil Madriaga could be a “star witness” for Duterte’s impeachment defense, as he faces several perjury complaints over statements he made related to the case.
Panelo said the defense could use Madriaga’s testimony to challenge the prosecution’s case, whether or not prosecutors call him to testify against the accused.
Madriaga has identified himself as a former aide and alleged bagman of Duterte. He is facing several perjury complaints filed by the Vice President’s legal team.
