Week 14 of Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial featured testimony from the Anti-Money Laundering Council on day one. This testimony is related to allegations of ill-gotten wealth and undeclared assets on her SALN. AMLC Secretariat Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura testified that between 2011 and 2024 Sara Duterte's bank transactions ran as high as 55 million pesos.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2317346/amlc-witness-bank-reported-dutertes-p9-m-transactions-in-2011-2013 |
Vice President Sara Duterte’s bank transactions of over P500,000 from 2011 to 2024, including a P55 million interaccount transfer, were reported by various banks to the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), its Secretariat Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura said Monday.
Private prosecutor Mae Divinagracia, during her examination of Buenaventura, pointed to the covered transaction reports (CTRs) of Duterte and her husband, Atty. Manases Carpio, from 2007 to 2025.
CTRs refer to transactions above P500,000.
Referring to AMLC records, Buenaventura testified on the following 24 of the 375 CTRs from the joint bank account of the vice president and former President Rodrigo Duterte:
- P9,785,744.55, March 9, 2011, debit memo
- P9,109,644.80, April 8, 2013, over-the-counter cash withdrawal
- P41,721,035.62, March 28, 2014, interaccount transfer
- P55,131,747.32, March 28, 2014, interaccount transfer
- P20,000,000.00, March 28, 2014, interaccount transfer
- P20,000,000.00, March 28, 2014, interaccount transfer
- P16,852,832.94, March 28, 2014, interaccount transfer
- P20,000,000.00, March 28, 2014, interaccount transfer
- P20,000,000.00, March 28, 2014, interaccount transfer
- P1,945,265.88, December 26, 2018, time deposit placement debit memo
- P1,945,265.88, December 26, 2018, time deposit placement credit memo
- P1,984,235.15, January 23, 2020, time deposit placement debit memo
- P1,984,235.15, January 23, 2020, time deposit placement credit memo
- P2,005,340.22, December 28, 2020, time deposit placement debit memo
- P2,005,340.22, December 28, 2020, time deposit placement credit memo
- P2,012,498.18, December 23, 2021, time deposit placement debit memo
- P2,012,498.18, December 23, 2021, time deposit placement credit memo
- P2,020,879.39, September 22, 2022, time deposit placement debit memo
- P2,020,879.39, September 22, 2022, time deposit placement credit memo
- P5,969,000.00, December 20, 2024, over-the-counter cash withdrawal
- P5,969,000.00, December 20, 2024, over-the-counter cash withdrawal
- P2,371,000.00, December 5, 2024, over-the-counter cash withdrawal
- P1,700,000.00, December 20, 2024, over-the-counter cheque encashment
In addition, the AMLC records indicated that on April 1, 2014, Duterte purchased a life investment insurance policy worth P20,000,000 from BPI AIA Life Assurance Corp.
Buenaventura also detailed six of the 363 CTRs from Carpio’s accounts. In particular, the prosecution highlighted six of Carpio’s transactions made on a single day.
- P15,000,000.00, August 6, 2024, over-the-counter cheque encashment
- P8,000,000.00, August 6, 2024, over-the-counter cheque encashment
- P5,000,000.00, August 6, 2024, over-the-counter cash withdrawal
- P5,000,000.00, August 6, 2024, over-the-counter cash withdrawal
- P3,000,000.00, August 6, 2024, over-the-counter cash withdrawal
- P5,000,000.00, August 6, 2024, over-the-counter cash withdrawal
Those are massive transactions flagged because they were each over 500,000 pesos. The accounts of both Sara and her husband were flagged due to transactions allegedly linked to the flood control scandal and drug trafficking.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2317479/amlc-sara-duterte-spouse-transactions-linked-to-flood-control-drugs |
The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) on Monday disclosed several transactions by Vice President Sara Duterte and her spouse, Atty. Maneses Carpio, that were flagged for allegedly being related to the flood control scandal and drug trafficking.
During the 33rd day of Duterte’s impeachment trial, AMLC Secretariat Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura disclosed several suspicious transaction reports (STRs) before the Senate Impeachment Court while being questioned by private prosecutor Mae Divinagracia.
STRs refer to reports filed by covered institutions on transactions that exhibit specific red flags or irregularities under the Anti-Money Laundering Act, regardless of the amount involved.
Among the STRs revealed during the trial were premium payments made to The Mercantile Insurance Co. on July 4, 2019, and Nov. 15, 2019.
“Based on records, as reported by the covered person, the reason indicated is graft and corrupt practices,” Buenaventura said.
Asked what the narrative was, or the explanation behind the suspicion, Buenaventura said the following:
“Several news outlets recently released a list of individuals and corporations identified as being involved in the DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) flood control issue, prompting the filing of an STR.”Meanwhile, another STR, dated Aug. 1, 2024, linked Duterte’s husband, Mans Carpio, to drug trafficking, particularly PSBank accounts under his name, which were flagged following criminal complaints tied to a 2017 P6.4-billion shabu smuggling case.
Among the accused in the said case, based on the STR narrative, was Carpio, who owned two separate PSBank accounts, one peso and one dollar account.
“Both accounts were still active, with average daily balances for the past six months amounting to P519,787.44 and USD6,411.05, respectively,” the narrative read, which was likewise based on press accounts.
Another STR, dated Dec. 5, 2024, also flagged transactions Duterte allegedly committed for malversation of public funds and property.
“The client is alleged to have misappropriated confidential funds to her office,” Buenaventura said in reading the STR explanation, which also directly cited various news reports.
The STR narrative also cited COA’s disallowance of P73 million in confidential funds in 2022 under Duterte’s office.
At the end of last week former Senator Trillanes alleged that Sara Duterte had received millions of pesos from China. She vehemently denied that allegation but testimony from the AMLC seems to have vindicated Trillanes.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2317576/trillanes-vindicated-anew-amlc-says-carpio-firm-got-p319-m-from-china |
It appears that former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV has been vindicated again, as a government official has confirmed the food company owned by lawyer Manases Carpio, husband of Vice President Sara Duterte, got funds over P319 million from China.
At Duterte’s impeachment trial on Monday, counsel for the prosecution Mae Divinagracia asked Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura about the total amount of inward financial transactions involving Carpio’s CALE88 Foods Corp., or money that came from mainland China and Hong Kong to the said company.
In response, Buenaventura said it is P319,326,770.41 — an amount that is close to the figure provided by Trillanes during a press briefing last Friday.
“Let’s go to Table 5 of your summary, based on your summary, Table 5, and the CTRs (covered transactions report) and STRs (suspicious transactions report) of CALE88, how much was the entire value of remittances from China that CALE88 received?” Divinagracia asked.
“The entire value, your Honor, the aggregate amount placed under aggregate Letter c, aggregate PHP with subtotal a, what was indicated in our tabular summary is P319,326,770.41, your Honor. Based on the records, our tabular summary records,” Buenaventura said.
“‘The title of Table 5 your Honors is the CTRs pertaining to inward remittances to CALE88 Foods Corporation from (a) China and (b) other countries, (Item 5) your Honor,” he added.
Aside from this the table also showed that there are a total of 143 CTRs and three STRs on CALE88; 141 of the 143 CTRs were financial transactions from China and two from Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, all three STRs involved transactions from China.Buenaventura, during the hearing of the House of Representatives’ committee on justice on the two impeachment complaints against Duterte, explained that covered transactions referred to bank transactions over P500,000, which banks report to AMLC.
Suspicious transactions, meanwhile, refer to those whose amounts are not determined, but were reported by banks because there is something questionable in terms of how funds were sourced.
There are other CTRs recorded by AMLC outside of China, including 13 from Ukraine, six each from Russia and Kazakhstan, four from Lithuania, two each from Tajikistan and South Africa, and one each from the United Arab Emirates and the United States.
All in all, there are 178 CTRs and three STRs, representing a total amount of P368.8 million worth of transactions.
Regarding the suspicious transactions from China, Buenaventura said that these were flagged because “there is no underlying legal or trade obligation, purpose, or economic justification.”
Trillanes signified his desire to testify before the Senate Impeachment Court, but eventually withdrew to supposedly relieve the prosecution panel of pressure. Instead, the former senator presented his would have been testimony during a press conference in San Juan last Friday.
One of the items that Trillanes discussed was the alleged P319 million that went into CALE88 — despite having a paid-up capital of P125,000 from 2021 to 2025, having low electricity costs, and no rank-and-file employees.
Trillanes said that the P319 million was sent by Chinese firms in tranches, from 2023 to 2025.
Meanwhile, the Tapang at Malasakit Foundation, which Duterte listed herself as an incorporator in her 2022 Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth, reportedly received a P150 million donation from the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines in 2019.
All of these transactions add up to more than Sara Duterte's declared wealth for that time period. The AMLC executive said he could not the discrepancy.
Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) Secretariat Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura admitted on Tuesday that he could not explain the gap between Vice President Sara Duterte’s declared net worth and reported financial transactions involving her and husband Manases Carpio.
Raising the “absurd possibility” of adding Duterte’s statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALNs) from 2022 to 2025, Presiding Officer and Sen. Francis Escudero came up with a total of P336 million.
This figure, however, was still short of the P424 million that reportedly went in and out of the couple’s bank accounts during the same period, Escudero said, citing AMLC records submitted to the Senate impeachment court.
“It still did not reach P424 million. Meaning to say, assuming that nothing was spent from all of their assets and everything was deposited in the bank, it still would not reach this amount,” Escudero pointed out, while asking questions to AMLC Secretariat Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura.
Buenaventura was presented by the prosecution in relation to allegations that Duterte had amasses unexplained wealth and failed to declare all her assets in her SALNs.
“In your opinion—and I’ll ask again, in the realm of possibilities—what would explain this huge amount? Is it possible that it was simply money going in and out?” he asked the witness.
Noticing that Buenaventura was struggling to respond to his question, Escudero surmised that that the witness could not explain the gap.
The witness agreed, saying: “I cannot explain it.”
Escudero further pressed the witness to explain how the couple’s transactions could have amounted to P424 million when the vice president’s monthly salary was only P350,000.
“Apologies po your your honor, I cannot explain,” Buenaventura answered.
Escudero raised the same questions on the reported P4.4 billion combined transactions of the couple from 2007 to 2025.
“Again, I bring it to its absurd point. We tried to add to all of the amounts in the combined Salns for those covered period of 2007 to 2025, it totaled only P840 million,” he said.
“In the realm of possibilities again, can you explain how it could reach that amount knowing that the highest salary in 2025 was at P98 million and the lowest salary in 2007 was at P7 million? Can you explain it, Sir?”
Buenaventura said he would not be able to explain or answer the question as he just relying on their records.
When Escudero asked again if he could think of any possible explanation, the witness said, “I’m also having some difficulty explaining it.”
“So you also cannot explain why the amount reached P4.4 billion, based on the data I relayed to you regarding the SALNs?” the presiding officer asked further.
“I cannot answer that, Your Honor,” the AMLC official said.
However, suspicious transactions do not prove illegal activity according to the AMLC.
Testimony was also heard from BPI Central Metro Manila Branches division head Marwin Galvez. Sara Duterte and her Father Rodrigo Duterte had a shared account which exhibited patterns consistent with concealment of finances.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2319161/prosecution-seeks-to-show-dutertes-hid-p96m-via-unused-managers-checks |
The prosecution on Wednesday attempted to show a pattern of concealment involving around P96 million in funds from a Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) account jointly held by Vice President Sara Duterte and her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Prosecution counsel James Bryan Ibrahim Alih traced a series of manager’s checks that remained unutilized and were subsequently returned, saying the transactions showed how the funds could be moved out of the account without appearing in its year-end balance.
The prosecution first traced P41.72 million from a time deposit that matured in March 2011 and was used to purchase a manager’s check.
Noting that a manager’s check becomes stale if unutilized after six months, Alih later cited records showing the same amount was used to purchase another manager’s check in October 2011.
Defense counsel Michael Poa objected, questioning the relevance of presenting the transactions.
Presiding Officer Francis Escudero agreed, saying that they dated back to 2011.
“Where is this leading to, counsel?” Escudero asked.
“Without preempting the prosecution panel, may I venture a guess where this is headed? You’re trying to establish a pattern aimed at proving concealment,” Senator-Judge Panfilo Lacson said.Alih agreed, saying, “That’s what we’re trying to say, Your Honor, we’re trying to establish a pattern. Apologies that it takes quite some time because I wanted to do it right with the documents.”
“But the point eventually is that the manager’s checks being circulated were not reflected in the year-end balance because the funds were still floating,” Alih explained.
Through the interjections of Escudero, BPI Central Metro Manila Branches division head Marwin Galvez explained that when a manager’s check is issued, the amount is deducted from the purchaser’s account and transferred to the bank’s settlement account, which is separate from the client’s account.
According to Galvez, the funds remain in the settlement account to back the manager’s check while it remains outstanding.
If the manager’s check lapses without being used and is returned to the bank, Galvez said the funds may be returned to the purchaser’s account.
After the clarification, Escudero ruled to allow Alih in his presentation.
Alih, however, opted to dispense with the matter and said, “I guess, given that there was already a clarification on that matter, to save the Court’s time, I would move on from that P41 million, Your Honor,”
“Because this is already part of the records, so that I don’t have to go through this, Your Honor, a similar time deposit that became a manager’s check in the amount of P55 million was also running during the same years, simultaneously with this P41 [million], bringing the total to P96 million.”
Sen. Bam Aquino, sitting as a senator-judge, later asked Galvez whether the “scheme” of purchasing manager’s checks and leaving them unutilized was a known method of “keeping money.”
Galvez also told Aquino that “there are instances, Your Honor, when a client purchases a manager’s check but does not use it.”
Aquino said, “Sorry, do you mean it is used or deliberately not used?”
“‘The point of the prosecution is that the manager’s checks were deliberately left unused to make the funds disappear from the account and then return. Is this a normal practice, or is this just a theory of the prosecution, or is this actually done by people in the banking industry?” the senator-judge pressed further.
Later, to further support their claim of a pattern of concealment, Alih presented documents showing that the manager’s checks were subsequently purchased in October 2011, April 2012, October 2012, April 2013, and October 2013—six months apart, or the validity of a manager’s check.
Alih pointed out that the P96 million that had “floated” over the years appeared to have later been used to purchase four P20-million insurance plans from Philam Life, as shown in the instruction letters dated March 2014.
“What was the purpose of the authorization to transfer?” Alih asked Galvez.
“Based on the account specified in the instruction, the authority to transfer was to debit account 9539 and transfer the funds to BPI’s settlement account for BPI-Philam Life Insurance Corporation,” Galvez replied.
Galvez also confirmed that the transfers were used to purchase the four P20-million plans, based on the instruction letters.
Meanwhile, Alih also presented Manager’s Check No. 20536 dated May 30, 2016 that showed that the remaining P16 million was eventually paid to Sammy Uy.
This, according to Alih, “completes” the P96 million that the prosecution attempts to show that the Dutertes allegedly tried to hide.
It would appear that both Sara and her father were involved in a scheme to hide money. The point of this testimony was to establish a pattern that Sara has long been concerned with hiding both her wealth and its sources. That is something the defense will have to address when it comes time to present their case.
According to one witness Sara's unexplained wealth amounts to 817.87 million pesos.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2320698/vp-dutertes-total-unexplained-wealth-at-p817-87m-witness-report |
The table prepared by prosecution witness, lawyer and accountant Alexander Cabrera, alleges that Vice President Sara Duterte had a total unexplained wealth of P817.87 million from 2022 to 2025.
On Friday, day 37 of Duterte’s trial, House Prosecutor Rep. Chel Diokno led the direct examination of Cabrera, whom the prosecution sought to establish as an expert witness.
After being furnished with the financial records of Duterte and her husband, Manases Carpio, along with the businesses linked to them, Cabrera prepared a forensic report. Cabrera presented tables before the impeachment court.
“We prepared a summary of the findings, if I’m not mistaken, in Table 39,” Cabrera told the impeachment court.
“Your Honor, I will be showing Table 39, which is shown in the report itself; it’s not a summary but from the report itself,” Diokno said.
Total undeclared assets and income were said to be at P190.63 million in 2022; P167.38 million in 2023; P263.22 million in 2024; and P195.70 million in 2025.Cabrera explained that included in his report were the years 2022 to 2025 as “These are the years when Vice President Sara Duterte was serving as vice president."
Cabrera’s testimony was offered to tie together and present the “bigger picture” for the prosecution’s presentation of Impeachment Article II that alleges Duterte amassed unexplained wealth; did not fully or truthfully declare all her assets, liabilities, and net worth in her Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN); and failed to divest her business interests during her tenure as vice president.
That's 817.87 million explanations needed from Sara and her defense team. Because of time constraints impeachment Article 3 which concerns allegations of bribery has been dropped by the prosecution. That leaves lawyer and accountant Alexander Cabrera as the prosecution's final witness in this trial. Once they have submitted a written formal offer of evidence the defense will begin making their case to the court.
