HOUSE impeachment prosecutor and Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon on Saturday said one of the strongest pieces of evidence supporting the impeachment of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte was the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) report presented during the Committee on Justice hearings, which allegedly showed billions of pesos in transactions involving Duterte and her husband, Atty. Manases Carpio.
Speaking at the Saturday News Forum at Dapo Restaurant in Quezon City, Ridon said the AMLC records revealed a total of P6.7 billion in transactions linked to the couple, including P4.4 billion in inflows, P1.5 billion in outflows, and around P2.8 billion in net inflows remaining in their accounts.
“Ang totoo po, ‘yung isa sa sinasabi ng mga kababayan po natin ‘yung pong pinakamabigat na batayan for impeaching the vice president ay ‘yun pong araw kung saan inilatag ng House Committee on Justice yun pong AMLAC report,” Ridon said.
He stressed that the figures were significant not merely because of the amount involved, but because they reflected the scale of the couple’s financial profile, which he said appeared inconsistent with the vice president’s declared wealth.
“Yung financial scale po at profile, ibabangga po ito doon sa P88.5 million na SALN. Kahit sinong kausapin nating accountant, financial expert, ang sasabihin ho nila, hindi kaya magluwal ng P88.5 million net worth ang isang P6.7 billion na scale po of financial transactions,” he said.
Ridon also questioned the origins of the reported P4.4 billion inflows, noting that Duterte and Carpio are public servants and lawyers with businesses that reportedly incurred losses.
“Paano po magkakaroon ng pagpasok na P4.4 billion sa loob ng bank accounts ng ganito pong klaseng magasawa na ito ‘yung aktwal na kabuhayan at trabaho nila?” he said.
He likewise raised questions regarding the P1.5 billion in outflows reflected in the AMLC records, saying such amounts would normally correspond to expenses, investments, or acquired assets that should have appeared in Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs).
“Kung napunta ito sa investments at pag-aari, bakit hindi ‘yun nakalagay sa SALN sa loob ng mahabang panahon at pagtapos ng 2024, P88.5 million,” Ridon said.
The impeachment prosecutor also pointed to the reported P2.8 billion net inflows, stressing these should have been reflected as cash deposits or cash on hand in Duterte’s SALNs.
“From 2019 to 2024 walang nakadeklara doon na cash deposits, wala pong nakadeklara roon na cash on hand,” he said.
Ridon said these issues would likely become central during the impeachment trial, particularly once additional records are obtained through the opening of the couple’s bank accounts and the disclosure of Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) documents.
“Pwede hong ma-unmask ‘yung sources of funding at yung actual level of funding na initially being reported already by the AMLAC,” he said.
“So ‘yan po ‘yung mga paguusapan ng mga aktwal na ebidensya pagdating po sa trial and ‘yung dagdag na mga ebidensya kapang nakapag-unseal na nung BIR documents at ng pagbukas po ng bank accounts ng mag-asawang Duterte-Carpio,” he added.
He also noted that some possible sources of the transactions had already been publicly identified during earlier proceedings, including information previously disclosed by former Sen. Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV involving checks that allegedly entered the couple’s accounts.
The Senate is expected to convene as an impeachment court on May 18 at 3 p.m., following Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano’s announcement earlier this week.
Ridon said the House prosecution panel would attend the convening as part of respecting the Senate and the constitutional process of impeachment.
The House impeached Duterte on May 11 with 257 lawmakers voting in favor of transmitting the articles of impeachment to the Senate for trial, while 25 voted against and nine abstained. The charges include allegations of misuse of P612.5 million confidential funds, unexplained wealth, bribery, and grave threats.
