House prosecutors seek subpoenas for Sara Duterte, husband's bank records

The House prosecution panel has asked the Senate impeachment court to issue subpoenas directing banks to produce the bank records of Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband, Manases Carpio, and requiring bank officials to testify on the transactions.

Specifically, the prosecution seeks the testimony of the branch managers or authorized representatives of the following banks:

• Bank of Philippine Islands (BPI) Julia Vargas Branch
• BPI Greenhills EDSA Branch
• Philippine Savings Bank (PSBank) Wilson Branch
• Banco De Oro (BDO) Unibank Davao C.M. Recto Branch
• Metrobank Davao Ecoland Branch
• BDO Unibank Davao Rizal Branch
• Security Bank Bicutan Branch
• Land Bank of the Philippines San Pedro Branch
• PSBank Davao Madrazo Branch, among others.

The proposed subpoenas cover certified true copies of all records, documents, books, papers, electronic data, communications, and other information in the possession, custody, or control of the banks relating to any account, deposit, investment, trust, loan, safe deposit box, or other financial transaction.

The request covers accounts or transactions maintained, opened, closed, controlled, beneficially owned, or jointly or individually held by Duterte and Carpio, or by any authorized representative, nominee, attorney-in-fact, or signatory, from January 1, 2007, to December 31, 2025.

Under the Republic Act No. 1405 or the Bank Secrecy Law, bank deposits are generally confidential, but the law allows their disclosure in certain cases, including impeachment proceedings.

The prosecution's request is based on this exception, although the Senate impeachment court has yet to rule on whether to issue the subpoenas.

Aside from the bank records, the prosecution also sought subpoenas for Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) Chairman Eli Remolona, Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura, and/or their representatives, as well as AMLC records, including:

• Reports of covered and suspicious transactions filed by banks and other financial institutions, as well as covered persons required to submit such reports to the AMLC, involving Duterte and Carpio from 2006 to 2025; and
• Investigation reports and related documents prepared by the AMLC concerning the reported covered or suspicious transactions involving Duterte and Carpio from 2007 to 2025, among others.

"The unexplained wealth, as we are alleging, Your Honor, that was amassed prior to her term as Vice President is relevant and material to her being an impeachable officer because wealth of that magnitude—millions or even billions of pesos—continues to benefit the Vice President," House prosecutor and Akbayan party-list Rep. Chel Diokno said.

He argued that wealth allegedly accumulated before Duterte became Vice President remains relevant because its benefits continue while she is in office, and because integrity is a continuing requirement for public officials.

"It's very clear that when a local government official, for example, who later becomes a national official, amasses hundreds of millions, if not billions, of pesos, that benefit continues today.

"Secondly, ang integrity ay hindi po pwedeng biyakin (integrity cannot be compartmentalized). It's very clear that integrity is a continuing requirement of fitness for office," Diokno added.

Defense counsel Sheila Sison, for her part, argued that seeking bank records covering the period before Duterte became an impeachable official was an overreach.

"It is a violation of the Duterte v. House of Representatives ruling on grave abuse of discretion on the part of the House," Sison said.

The Senate impeachment court gave both parties five days to file their respective comments justifying their positions on the matter, meaning the issue will not be resolved next week.— MCG, GMA News