A House prosecutor said the Anti-Money Laundering Council report showing P6.7 billion in alleged transactions involving Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, is among the strongest pieces of evidence supporting the impeachment case against her.
Speaking at the Saturday News Forum, Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon said the AMLC records presented during the House Committee on Justice hearings showed P4.4 billion in inflows, P1.5 billion in outflows, and around P2.8 billion in net inflows allegedly linked to the couple.
“Ang totoo po, ‘yung isa sa sinasabi ng mga kababayan po natin ‘yung pong pinakamabigat na batayan for impeaching the vice president ay ‘yun pong araw kung saan inilatag ng House Committee on Justice yun pong AMLAC report,” Ridon said.
Ridon said the issue was not only the size of the transactions, but the apparent gap between the couple’s reported financial activity and Duterte’s declared wealth.
“Yung financial scale po at profile, ibabangga po ito doon sa P88.5 million na SALN. Kahit sinong kausapin nating accountant, financial expert, ang sasabihin ho nila, hindi kaya magluwal ng P88.5 million net worth ang isang P6.7 billion na scale po of financial transactions,” he said.
The lawmaker questioned how P4.4 billion could have entered the accounts of Duterte and Carpio, citing their professions as public servant and lawyer, as well as businesses that reportedly suffered losses.
“Paano po magkakaroon ng pagpasok na P4.4 billion sa loob ng bank accounts ng ganito pong klaseng magasawa na ito ‘yung aktwal na kabuhayan at trabaho nila?” he said.
Ridon also raised concerns over the P1.5 billion in alleged outflows, saying such amounts would usually correspond to major expenses, investments or assets that should have been reflected in Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth.
“Kung napunta ito sa investments at pag-aari, bakit hindi ‘yun nakalagay sa SALN sa loob ng mahabang panahon at pagtapos ng 2024, P88.5 million,” Ridon said.
He said the reported P2.8 billion in net inflows should likewise have appeared as cash deposits or cash on hand in Duterte’s SALNs.
“From 2019 to 2024 walang nakadeklara doon na cash deposits, wala pong nakadeklara roon na cash on hand,” he said.
Ridon said the AMLC report and related financial records are expected to become central in the Senate impeachment trial, especially once additional documents are obtained through the unsealing of bank and Bureau of Internal Revenue records.
“Pwede hong ma-unmask ‘yung sources of funding at yung actual level of funding na initially being reported already by the AMLAC,” he said.
“So ‘yan po ‘yung mga paguusapan ng mga aktwal na ebidensya pagdating po sa trial and ‘yung dagdag na mga ebidensya kapang nakapag-unseal na nung BIR documents at ng pagbukas po ng bank accounts ng mag-asawang Duterte-Carpio,” he added.
Ridon also said some possible sources of the transactions had already surfaced in earlier proceedings, including information previously disclosed by former Sen. Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV involving checks that allegedly entered the couple’s accounts.
The Senate is expected to convene as an impeachment court on May 18 at 3 p.m., following the announcement of Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano earlier this week.
Ridon said the House prosecution panel would attend the convening to show respect for the Senate and the constitutional process.
The House impeached Duterte on May 11, with 257 lawmakers voting in favor of transmitting the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate for trial. Twenty-five voted against the move, while nine abstained.
The charges against Duterte include alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds, unexplained wealth, bribery and grave threats.