Filtered By: Topstories
News

AMLC denies giving info on Duterte accounts in Ombudsman probe of Trillanes’ raps


The Anti-Money Laundering Council has denied providing the Ombudsman with documents and information related to its investigation of the alleged billion-peso bank accounts of President Rodrigo Duterte.

The AMLC confirmed receiving from the Overall Deputy Ombudsman on September 6 a letter dated August 17 requesting an investigation into the subject bank accounts but added that the attachment to the complaint contained "wrong and misleading" amounts.

"We have categorically stated before that the Anti-Money Laundering Council is not the source of the documents and information attached by Senator Antonio F. Trillanes IV in his complaint regarding the alleged bank accounts of President Rodrigo Duterte," the AMLC said in a statement.

"It has neither provided the Office of the Ombudsman with any report as a consequence of any investigation of subject accounts for any purpose," it added.

The AMLC said that it had "yet to evaluate the request, and the initiation of an investigation, as well as the release of any report on the subject will depend on such evaluation."

"Suffice it to state that in the attachment to the complaint, the alleged debits and credits representing outflows and inflows of funds were added together, thus the resulting total amounts are wrong and misleading," the AMLC said.

Overall Deputy Ombudsman Arthur Carandang on Wednesday said that he had been authorized by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales to act on the complaint of Trillanes and has already requested the Anti-Money Laundering Council for a final validation on the bank transaction records of the first family.

He added that initial bank records show the flow of money through deposits and withdrawals from Duterte's sons, Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo and Sebastian "Baste," and his joint accounts with his daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.

Carandang said the accounts of Duterte's common-law wife, Honeylet Avancena, and their daughter, Kitty, were also included in the records obtained by the Ombudsman.

Carandang said the same complaint of Trillanes was sufficient enough for the AMLC to conduct an inquiry on the bank accounts of Duterte's family.

In August, Trillanes claimed that the Ombudsman was in possession of AMLC records regarding Duterte's alleged flagged bank transactions in various bank accounts involving P2 billion in deposits and credits.

"Based on credible sources, as early as April last year, the Office of the Ombudsman has received official AMLC documents showing flagged transactions in Duterte's various bank accounts which totals more than 2 billion pesos in deposits and credits," Trillanes said then.

Morales has recused herself from the investigation since Attorney Manases Carpio, Duterte's son-in-law, was her nephew.

Malacañang on Wednesday said it respected the processes of the Ombudsman as an independent body and believed that it would be impartial.

It added that Duterte was not hiding anything.

Duterte earlier denied Trillanes' accusation that he had hidden wealth. —NB/JST, GMA News

LOADING CONTENT