MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Vice President’s withdrawal of P125 million in confidential funds were tagged as “unusual,” the prosecution’s witness said on Wednesday.
Violeta Constantino, manager of LandBank’s Shaw Boulevard branch, testified before the Senate impeachment court that the OVP withdrew the total amount in cash. Constantino deemed this as uncommon for a government office to encash such a large amount in cash instead of through checks.
“We didn't have any doubts because we knew the transaction was legitimate,” she said in Filipino.
She said that while cash withdrawals of more than P500,000 were seen as generally “suspicious” transactions, the withdrawals went through as all required documentation were presented and the account had sufficient funds.
“It was not suspicious. All were legitimate,” Constantino said.
