Sara Duterte bribery charge dropped at impeachment trial

Prosecutors said Friday they are dropping a bribery charge against Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte, who still faces three other charges in an impeachment trial that could remove her from office.

Duterte, 48, is also charged with misuse of state funds, unexplained wealth and an alleged assassination threat against President Ferdinand Marcos, her former ally.

If the Senate finds her guilty on any charge, she would lose the vice presidency and be permanently barred from elected office, which would end her bid to become president in 2028.

Prosecutors from the House of Representatives, which voted to impeach Duterte in May, said dropping the bribery charge would speed up the trial. The trial reached its 37th day Friday.

Congressman and prosecutor Jonathan Keith Flores told reporters that prosecutors believed they had presented enough evidence and did not want to stretch the patience of the public or the senator-judges.

Prosecutors have already presented evidence and witnesses on the assassination and misuse-of-funds charges. Prosecutor Jose Manuel Diokno told the court Friday that they had presented their last witness in the hidden wealth case. That witness is due to be cross-examined Monday.

The Senate had given prosecutors 60 trial days to present their case before Duterte presents her own witnesses and evidence.

Last month, the 24-seat Senate approved a lower threshold of votes needed to find Duterte guilty, in a ruling widely seen as a blow to her. With at least four senators loyal to the vice president absent from the trial, 14 votes are needed for conviction.