MANILA – The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) has filed civil forfeiture petitions at the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) and obtained asset preservation orders for properties linked to individuals and corporations involved in the ghost flood control projects.

“Following the extensive investigation and finding of probable cause, the AMLC filed three petitions for civil forfeiture before the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Manila. The petitions cover the properties of individuals and entities subject to several freeze orders issued by the Court of Appeals,” the AMLC said in a statement on Wednesday.

The RTC has issued two provisional asset preservation orders in connection with the petitions, “aimed at safeguarding monetary instruments and properties pending the Court’s final decision,” the council added.

Civil forfeiture allows the government to seize assets suspected of being derived from criminal activity, such as ill-gotten wealth, without requiring a criminal conviction. The standard of proof is lower than in criminal cases, relying on the “balance of probabilities,” and aims to strip criminal organizations of their financial resources while recovering public funds.

“Given the scale and intricacy of the data, the AMLC is proceeding with deliberate care to ensure that all evidence is complete and accurate,” the council said.

“This is essential not only to uphold the integrity of the investigation but also to ensure that the cases, once filed, are supported by robust and admissible evidence capable of withstanding judicial scrutiny,” it added.

The AMLC described the filing of civil forfeiture cases as the final step in recovering illicit proceeds linked to anomalies in flood control projects.

“The action marks the first of several petitions to be filed, all aimed at recovering funds tied to corrupt practices involving flood control projects,” the council said.

The first freeze order issued by the Court of Appeals last September affected 135 bank accounts and 27 insurance policies of individuals and corporations, with a total value of PHP2.9 billion by the end of that month.

By December, the CA had issued additional freeze orders covering 4,679 bank accounts, 283 insurance policies, 255 motor vehicles, 178 real properties, 16 e-wallet accounts, and three securities accounts, bringing the total frozen assets to PHP13 billion.

(PNA)