Prosecution questions Acosta's meeting with defense before testimony

The House prosecution team has questioned the meeting between its hostile witness, former Office of the Vice President (OVP) special disbursing officer (SDO) Gina Acosta, and defense lawyer Lindon Bacquel, one of the counsels of Vice President Sara Duterte for her impeachment trial.

House prosecution panel trial spokesperson Benjamin Tolosa, Jr. raised the question after Acosta, who was sought by the prosecution as a hostile witness, told the impeachment court that she met Bacquel “last, last week.”

“When she was asked when she met with Atty. Lyndon, she said last week. Although she corrected herself and subsequently said, last, last week. It is for the appreciation of the senator-judges,” Tolosa said in a press conference.

“If it is last week, that’s problematic. Ano iyon? Nagkita ba kayo before your initial direct examination? If it is last, last week, bakit nakikipagkita iyong witness na by that time, announced na namin na magiging witness siya ng prosecution? Bakit siya nakikipagkita sa abogado ng respondent?” Tolosa added.

(Why is our witness meeting with a defense lawyer after we already informed the public that she will be a hostile witness for the prosecution?)

Considering Acosta's last answer last week, the meeting would have happened during August 10 to 16 or after the Senate impeachment court issued a subpoena or order for Acosta and Education department SDO Eduard Fajarda to testify before the Senate impeachment court August 5.

The Senate impeachment court reissued the subpoenas for Acosta and Fajarda on August 12 since the direct and cross examination on prosecution witness and state auditor Xylene del Campo took two days, August 11 and 12.

Acosta, however, was only able to testify on August 17 due to the cancellation of trial days last August 18 and 19 amid heavy rainfall and flooding.

When she finally took the witness stand on August 17, Acosta told the impeachment court last August that she released P500 million worth of confidential funds of OVP from 2022 to 2023 to Colonel Raymund Lachica, the OVP’s security officer, even if such disbursement is not allowed under 2015 guidelines governing the use of confidential funds.

On Monday, Acosta also testified that she disbursed the P500 million OVP confidential funds to Lachica even if Lachica was not the accountable officer for the disbursement of the said fund.

As SDO, Acosta is mandated to disburse the confidential fund of the OVP as provided under the same 2015 guidelines on the use of confidential funds.

“She is not a respondent here [in the impeachment case]. I don’t think abogado niya sila. Bakit sila nakikipagkita sa kanila? Those are important questions that must also be considered by the senator-judges,” Tolosa said.

(I don't think the Vice President's lawyers are Acosta's lawyers. Why meet them then?) —LDF, GMA News