MANILA — The husband of Vice President Sara Duterte is set to file a criminal complaint against officials of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), and several members of the House Committee on Justice over the alleged disclosure of confidential banking records.

In a statement, the legal team of Atty. Manases “Mans” Carpio said BSP Governor Eli Remolona Jr., AMLC Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura, and lawmakers Gerville Luistro, Percival Cendaña, Chel Diokno, and Leila De Lima allegedly violated the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA), bank secrecy laws, and the Data Privacy Act.

Carpio’s lawyers said the information disclosed is protected under existing financial and privacy laws.

“Carpio said he was constrained to seek legal action in defense not only of his wife and the Duterte family, but also of the banking and financial community, especially the unwary general public,” the statement read.

Carpio argued that the confidentiality of bank records under the AMLA is “absolute and without exception,” stressing the need to safeguard the integrity of the financial system.

“Congress itself enacted Section 8A of the AMLA prohibiting disclosure in any manner of any reports of banks submitted to the AMLC,” Carpio said.

“There is no exception. The prohibition is absolute. That is what Congress enacted to preserve full security against any disclosure of information or records obtained by the AMLC,” he added.

He further alleged that the AMLC and the House panel disclosed private financial records, including insurance payments, time deposits, investments, and utility bill transactions.

Carpio claimed the supposed leak was used for “black propaganda and political harassment” rather than legitimate purposes.

“AMLA is being weaponized to the max, even if illegal and contrary to law, for pure black propaganda with a view to the 2028 national election,” he said.

Vice President Duterte earlier announced her intention to run for president in 2028.

In a separate statement, De Lima said she would wait for a copy of the complaint before issuing a detailed response but maintained that the House inquiry would proceed.

“As far as the House Committee on Justice is concerned, the proceedings cannot be considered violative of any law. Impeachment proceedings, being sui generis, are not covered by the prohibition under the Secrecy of Bank Deposits Law,” De Lima said.

She added that the panel is conducting hearings to determine probable cause based on complaints properly referred to the House.

De Lima also clarified that the committee had subpoenaed records of suspicious and covered transactions involving Duterte and Carpio, not their actual bank accounts.

Meanwhile, the AMLC earlier reported that transactions amounting to P6.7 billion, classified as covered and suspicious, were recorded under the names of Duterte and Carpio.

Documents submitted to the House panel include transaction reports spanning 2006 to 2025, along with financial intelligence reports involving the Vice President, her husband, and other individuals.

Of the total amount, P3.7 billion was attributed to Duterte, while P2.998 billion was linked to Carpio. An additional P791 million in transactions had undetermined inflows and outflows.