LAWYER Manases Carpio, husband of Vice President Sara Duterte, has filed a criminal complaint for perjury against former senator Antonio Trillanes IV before the Pasig City Prosecutor’s Office over statements made during a House impeachment inquiry against the vice president.
The complaint stemmed from an 11-page notarized sworn statement submitted by Trillanes before the House Committee on Justice on April 22, 2026, in connection with impeachment proceedings against Duterte.
In his affidavit, Trillanes alleged that Carpio and the Vice President maintained joint bank accounts amounting to P111,634,144.05 as of April 2016 and claimed the funds were linked to alleged drug-related transactions involving a person identified as “Sammy Uy.” Carpio categorically denied the allegations, describing them as “downright false, malicious, perjurious, defamatory and pure black propaganda.”
“To reiterate, I do not have P100 million in my bank accounts. I have vehemently denied and continue to deny any involvement in illegal drugs in any form. I also deny receiving any drug money or proceeds from any alleged drug personality, including Sammy Uy,” Carpio said in his complaint-affidavit.
He said that Trillanes violated Article 183 of the Revised Penal Code, as amended by Republic Act 11594, by allegedly making false statements under oath on a material matter before a competent authority.
Carpio’s camp also invoked the Supreme Court ruling in Garrido vs. Gadon, arguing that sworn statements anchored on hearsay and unsupported by personal knowledge may expose a person to perjury liability when presented as factual claims.
“He failed to present any proof that the alleged bank accounts exist or that any funds came from illegal sources,” Carpio said, adding that Trillanes’ accusations were based on “hearsay and double hearsay.” The complaint further cited the 2017 Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Report 168, which Carpio said cleared him and his brother-in-law, Davao City First District Rep. Paolo Duterte, of earlier allegations linking them to illegal drugs due to lack of evidence.
Carpio also noted that Trillanes himself had voted during the Senate inquiry to excuse him and Paolo Duterte from further testimony after no evidence allegedly connected them to drug smuggling activities.
The complaint also referenced a 2018 Ombudsman fact-finding report that dismissed complaints against Carpio for “utter lack of basis.” Under Republic Act 11594, the penalty for perjury carries imprisonment ranging from six to eight years for private individuals and up to 12 years for public officers.
Carpio, in his affidavit, also described Trillanes’ allegations as politically motivated and damaging to his family’s reputation.
