National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag has requested the House prosecution panel to schedule his testimony earlier in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte to prevent any delay in the proceedings.
Letter to Lead Prosecutor
In a letter addressed to lead prosecutor and Batangas Representative Gerville Luistro, Matibag stated that he is scheduled to attend a summit of law enforcement leaders in Thailand on July 21 and 22. He thus requested to face the Senate before July 20.
According to Matibag, he will personally represent the NBI at the meeting with officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Royal Thai Police to discuss scams and transnational organized crime in the Asia-Pacific region.
Reason for Early Testimony
Because of this commitment, Matibag asked that his testimony be moved earlier so as not to affect the pace of the impeachment proceedings. He is expected to provide testimony related to the NBI's investigation into alleged threats made by Duterte against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
This allegation is one of the main bases of the Articles of Impeachment filed against the Vice President.
