THE prosecution’s requests for Vice President Sara Z. Duterte’s financial records were based on specifically identified accounts and bank branches rather than a general search for evidence.
House prosecution legal spokesperson and private prosecutor Benjamin “Jay” Tolosa Jr. said Tuesday the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) reports already contain the identifying information for the accounts sought from the banks.
“Dito sa mga reports na ito, nakasaad na ho diyan ano ang mga bank accounts, kasama ‘yung mga account number at kung saang branch, na ginamit ho ng Bise Presidente at ng kanyang asawa para maisagawa itong financial transactions na ito,” Tolosa explained.
The Senate Impeachment Court rejected the defense’s fishing expedition argument after finding that the requested documents were sufficiently definite, relevant and material to the unexplained wealth charge.
“So, iyan ho ang matibay na basehan na pinanggalingan ng aming request for the issuance of subpoena for the bank records,” Tolosa stressed.
The requests cover specified accounts involving Duterte, her husband Manases “Mans” Carpio and certain financial or business interests linked to them.
“Matatandaan natin doon sa proceedings before the House of Representatives, specifically doon sa mga ginawang hearing sa Committee on Justice, naprisinta na ho dito itong Executive Director ng AMLC,” Tolosa recalled.
The AMLC material was first presented during the House proceedings that examined allegations involving the couple’s financial activity and Duterte’s declared assets.
“Kung saan pinakita ho niya sa pamamagitan ng mga suspicious transaction reports and covered transaction reports na nagkaroon ho ng financial transactions ang Bise Presidente at ang kanyang asawa na nagkakahalagang P6.7 billion,” Tolosa noted.
The P6.7-billion figure represents aggregate financial transactions identified in the reports and does not by itself mean that the couple maintained a bank balance of the same amount.
The underlying records will allow the court to determine the nature, timing and movement of the transactions instead of relying solely on the aggregate figure.
“Nanalig kami na tatayo itong naging pagpapasya ng impeachment court today dahil yung kanilang ruling, which is to grant our request for a subpoena, ay nakabase ho ito sa malakas na legal basis,” Tolosa added.
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