Senate impeachment court hears AMLC testimony on billions of Duterte-linked bank transactions

On the 33rd day of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment proceedings, the Senate court heard AMLC Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura describe a series of bank activities amounting to billions of pesos that were flagged as covered and suspicious under the names of Duterte and her husband, Manases Carpio. Specific transactions included multiple over-the-counter withdrawals, a check encashment and a combined P41 million cash withdrawal by Carpio on a single day.

Senator-judge Chiz Escudero permitted the admission of foreign-currency account records, rejecting Imee Marcos’s objection, and clarified that AMLC confidentiality does not shield such evidence. Defense lawyer Mark Vinluan repeatedly stressed the confidentiality of AMLC reports, warning of possible legal consequences for unauthorized disclosure, while prosecutors argued the disclosures are within legal bounds. The testimony also revealed that Cale88 Foods Corporation, a firm tied to Carpio, received hundreds of millions of pesos from China and Hong Kong, prompting calls for further investigation into national-security implications.