MANILA, Philippines — House prosecutor Chel Diokno on Monday cited Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) reports showing billions of pesos in transactions linked to Vice President Sara Duterte's accounts to argue that the prosecution's request for her financial records is not a "fishing expedition" before the Senate impeachment court.
During the seventh day of Duterte's impeachment trial, Diokno said a fishing expedition occurs when a party seeks documents without any factual basis and merely hopes to uncover evidence that could later be used against the opposing party. He maintained that the prosecution's subpoena request does not fit that definition because it is anchored on AMLC records and testimony previously presented before the House Committee on Justice.
Diokno told the impeachment court that the AMLC executive director had testified that about P6.7 billion in transactions passed through Duterte's accounts from 2007 to the present. He added that the same records showed more than P3 billion in transactions during Duterte's tenure as Davao City mayor and vice mayor, which he said provides sufficient basis for the prosecution to seek her bank records.
"We are not just guessing that there is something there because the AMLC itself has confirmed that there were covered and suspicious transaction reports submitted to them," Diokno said, referring to documents earlier presented before the House Committee on Justice.
He also argued that the Articles of Impeachment sufficiently allege the "ultimate facts" supporting the charge of unexplained wealth, including accusations that Duterte amassed wealth disproportionate to her lawful income, failed to fully disclose assets in her Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs), and continued business interests while in office. Diokno added that the succeeding portions of the Articles detail the evidence supporting those allegations.
Diokno further said jurisprudence requires courts to examine a public official's financial records throughout the entirety of his or her incumbency when resolving allegations of unexplained wealth. He said this includes reviewing SALNs, lawful sources of income, and other financial documents to determine whether an official's assets exceed legitimate earnings, making the prosecution's subpoena request relevant to the impeachment case.
