THE bank and tax records of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte and her husband Manases Carpio will reveal the extend of the wealth accumulated by the couple since she was Davao City vice mayor in 2007, a House prosecution spokesperson said
Thursday.
Kabataan Party-list Rep. Renee Co made the statement as the concerned banks and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) turned over pertinent documents subpoenaed by the Senate impeachment court upon the prosecution’s request.
BIR officials were reported to have secured the authorization of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in compliance with the National Internal Revenue Code before turning over the Duterte-Carpio couple’s income tax returns (ITRs).
“Itong mga bank records na ito can better give that picture kung bakit ganun kalake yung wealth ni VP Sara,” Co said.
She said she was excited to look at the Duterte-Carpio couple’s bank and tax documents submitted to the Impeachment Court.
“Ako I’m excited to look forward to ‘yung ebidensiya. Puwede na nating tingnan ‘yun para makita na natin, matatakan na natin with finality ‘yung pera na matagal na nating tinatanong kung asan, asan na talaga ito napunta,” she said.
Aside from bank and tax documents of the Vice President and her husband, the impeachment court has also subpoenaed the report of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) on the couple’s financial transactions, also covering a 20-year period since she was vice mayor.
The report, presented by the agency to the House Committee on Justice during its impeachment hearings, showed that a total of P6.7 billion in “covered” and “suspicious” transactions of the Duterte-Carpio couple had been flagged by banks.
The Vice President’s statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALNs) were submitted to the justice committee by the Office of the Ombudsman.
The SALNs showed that the Vice President’s net worth climbed from P7.5 million in 2007 to more than P88 million in 2004.
The documents also showed that VP Sara Duterte had no “cash on hand and in bank” for the years 2019 to 2024.
Rep. Terry Ridon of Bicol Saro party-list, who is the prosecutor in charge of proving the charge of unexplained wealth against the Vice President, said the prosecution would like to find out if the AMLC report and the bank records would jibe with the respondent’s SALNs and ITRs.
He said one interesting declaration the Vice President made in her SALNs was the absence of “cash on hand and in bank” for 2019 to 2024.
He said senator-judges and the opposing parties would find that out when the bank records and ITRs are examined.
Co said the reported authorization secured by the BIR from President Marcos Jr. was just an “added bonus.”
She said the prosecution has always maintained that the impeachment court possesses the power to look into the respondent’s bank and tax records.
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