Trillanes resolution seeks probe into alleged Duterte wealth

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV has filed a resolution calling for an inquiry into potential violations of the Anti-Money Laundering Act by President Rodrigo Duterte and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.

 

Citing a VERA Files report that was based on alleged bank records that his office released into the public record, Trillanes said the Senate committee on banks must look into the implementation of AMLA.

 

The committee is chaired by Sen. Francis Escudero.

 

Trillanes said that the Dutertes may have "undiclosed 'covered' transactions" — under AMLA, these are cash transactions above P500,000 and transactions in jewelry and precious metals above P1 million — in violation of the law.

 

Citing the VERA Files report, Trillanes said the "covered" transactions include a P48.17-million placement in 2006 that grew to P55.13 million by 2013; a P40.55-million investment in 2009 that stood at P41.72 million in 2013; about $220,000 (roughly P10 million), from 2006 to 2012; the purchase of P80 million in insurance policies in 2014 and a P16.85-million investment which began in 2014.

 

"Despite numerous attempts to improve the AMLA, violations thereof have been frequently perpetuated and remain unidoscovered," Trillanes said in his resolution.

 

The Palace on Sunday dismissed Trillanes' allegations that Duterte has undeclared wealth an "old tune" from the 2016 elections. Duterte has denied the allegations since before the elections and has also accused Trillanes of himself having secret bank accounts.

 

The Palace earlier played down the VERA Files report, with presidential spokesperson Harry Roque saying the Palace "can’t comment on hearsay."

 

He stressed that the supposed bank records that VERA and Trillanes used have not been authenticated. He said that bank records are confidential and can only be obtained through the Anti-Money Laundering Council.

 

AMLC denied in September that it had released the Dutertes' bank records to the Office of the Ombudsman, which had initiated a probe into the issue.

 

Overall Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Carandang, who was quoted in news reports last September as saying the office had received bank documents from the AMLC, was ordered suspended by the Office of the President. Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales has refused to implement the suspension, citing the independence of her office.

 

Carandang was also quoted in September saying the documents looked "more or less" like the ones Trillanes had.

 

The Office of the Ombudsman later clarified that "Carandang states that he was reading through the documents shown to him during the ambush interview, in response to media’s inquiry on the status of the complaint after more than a year since its filing, and in stating that a request was made to AMLC as part of the required investigation process."

 

In a press statement on Sunday, Trillanes said that he is "accepting President Duterte’s challenge to investigate his alleged ill-gotten wealth to once and for all reveal the truth on this issue."