MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte’s camp on Tuesday said the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) executive director’s testimony did not confirm former senator Antonio Trillanes IV’s allegations against the vice president.
“If anything was confirmed, it is only that Trillanes obtained his information illegally in violation of the Anti-Money Laundering Act and Bank Secrecy Laws,” Duterte spokesman Salvador Panelo Jr. said.
Panelo said AMLC Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura testified only on covered and suspicious transaction reports filed by banks and did not establish that funds attributed to Duterte were illegally sourced, hidden or belonged to her.
He also accused Trillanes of relying on “hearsay, rumors, malicious speculation, and outright lies” and said Senator-judge Panfilo Lacson had confirmed that the former senator’s allegations had no probative value.
Buenaventura testified Monday that Cale88 Foods Corp., a company linked to Duterte’s husband Manases Carpio, received P319.3 million in inward remittances from mainland China and Hong Kong — matching the amount Trillanes had alleged the company received from China.
