Aguirre wants AMLC to look into Bautista’s bank accounts

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aquirre said on Thursday that he had ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to ask the Anti-Money Laundering Council to look into the multi-million-peso bank accounts of Commission on Elections chairman Andres Bautista.

Bautista is in the middle of a controversy after his estranged wife Patricia disclosed that he had hundreds of millions of pesos in assets that went undeclared in his statements of assets, liabilities and net worth —a violation that has been proven to be an impeachable offense.

"Lahat kasi yan pupwede pumasok sa betrayal walang priority diyan kung alin ang merong ebidensya," Aguirre said in Jam Sisante's report on "24 Oras."

Bautista said that his family had been investing intensively through the years and that co-mingled of family members comprised the funds in his questioned bank accounts.

Lawyer Lorna Kapunan, Patricia's spokespaerson, said Bautista should have declared his share in the co-mingled funds.

"Kung co-mingled, dapat i-declare niya ang share niya... Violation pa rin. Impeachable pa rin," Kapunan said.

The lawyer said the Bureau of Internal Revenue should also check whether the Bautista and his side of the family had paid the proper taxes on the returns on their investments.

"Alamin din ng BIR kung tama ang bayad na buwis... If he's saying it's family, dineclare ba ng family sa BIR," Kapunan said.

BIR Commissioner Cesar Dulay has earlier said that the agency would look into Bautista's bank accounts. —NB, GMA News