
Philippine senate returns Duterte impeachment case to lower house
The Philippine Senate has returned the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte to the House of Representatives to ensure that constitutional requirements were not violated.
The decision was reached hours after the 23-member upper house convened on Tuesday as an impeachment court.
A majority backed the motion to remand the articles of impeachment to the lower house.
But some lawmakers condemned the move.
Philipine Senate President Francis Escudero said it was "in no way a dismissal, because we will be issuing a summons after this."
The lower house impeached Duterte in February for threatening to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and allegedly misusing public funds. The vice president, daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, denies the allegations.
The current term of Congress closes at the end of this month. The session starting July will include lawmakers elected in the mid-term election held in May.
The Senate impeachment court is expected to continue. Twelve new senators will join the 12 incumbents as senator-judges.
If the vice president is convicted, she will lose the right to run in the presidential election in 2028.
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