A defense panel in the Philippines Senate impeachment trial has publicly shown copies of confidential Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) letters of authority (LOAs) authorizing audits of Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio. The move follows earlier disputes in court over whether such tax-related documents can be disclosed during proceedings.
Across reports, BIR officials confirm the LOAs were issued for an audit of the couple’s tax records. During testimony, a BIR witness raises concerns that displaying the LOAs in public also exposes the names of BIR revenue officers listed in the documents, which she says should not be revealed. In response, defense counsel argues that Duterte consented to the public viewing of the LOA, despite its confidential nature.
The accounts highlight a continuing procedural and confidentiality dispute: the prosecution’s earlier public display of tax records was objected to by the defense, and the defense’s own decision to present the LOAs becomes the focus of further concerns from BIR witnesses about data privacy and restricted information.
