Mans Carpio denies up to P6.7-B flagged bank transactions with Sara Duterte

Atty. Manases “Mans” Carpio is denying that he and his wife, Vice President Sara Duterte, had bank transactions totaling P6.7 billion, which the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) flagged as “covered and suspicious.” 

Carpio’s lawyer, Atty. Peter Paul Danao, said this in a Super Radyo dzBB interview, responding to the disclosure made by AMLC Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura during the House committee on justice’s impeachment hearing against the Vice President.

“Noong nag-usap kami (Carpio), talagang dine-deny niya ‘yung sinasabing P3 billion o P6 billion daw na may laman doon sa accounts niya. Wala siyang ganoong pera,” Danao said. 

(When my client and I talked, he really denied that there was P3 billion or P6 billion in his accounts. He doesn't have that kind of money.) 

Last Wednesday, Buenaventura submitted AMLC reports in compliance with a subpoena, which included: 

• Covered Transaction Reports and Suspicious Transaction Reports covering the period from 2006 to 2025; and Financial Intelligence Reports on Vice President Duterte and her husband, Manases Carpio, among others.

Of the total amount, P3.7 billion was attributed to the Vice President, while P2.998 billion was linked to Carpio.

Danao said they have yet to receive a copy of the AMLC report. 

He also said that Carpio’s camp wants to know if the AMLC’s findings came from the banks themselves.  

“‘Yung mismong report ng bangko papunta sa AMLC na sinasabing ganyang transaction, ‘yun ang gusto naming makita—kung totoo bang may report ang bangko sa AMLC tungkol sa mga ganyang alleged transactions,” he added. 

(We want to see the bank’s own report to the AMLC alleging such transactions. We want to see whether the bank truly has a report to the AMLC about such records.) 

Carpio is set to file a criminal complaint on Monday against officials of the AMLC, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), and members of the House committee on justice for alleged violations of the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA), bank secrecy laws, and the Data Privacy Act.

The Vice President's husband argued that under the AMLA, the confidentiality of bank records is “absolute and without exception” to ensure the security, stability, and integrity of the financial system.

He further alleged that the AMLC and the House committee on justice leaked private transaction records, including insurance payments, time deposits, investments, and utility bill payments.

Carpio claimed the alleged leak was used for “black propaganda and political harassment” rather than for legitimate regulatory action. —AOL, GMA News