MANILA — Lawmakers on Monday dismissed the complaint filed by lawyer Manases Carpio as a diversion from key issues in the impeachment proceedings involving Vice President Sara Duterte, saying it fails to address questions over alleged unexplained wealth.

Carpio filed a complaint against officials of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), and several lawmakers, citing alleged violations of the Bank Secrecy Law, the Data Privacy Act, and the Anti-Money Laundering Act.

The move came after the AMLC disclosed during House impeachment proceedings that bank transactions linked to the Carpio couple reached PHP6.77 billion, including PHP4.43 billion in inflows, PHP1.55 billion in outflows, and PHP791.1 million in transactions of undetermined nature, resulting in a net inflow of PHP2.88 billion.

House Committee on Public Accounts chair Terry Ridon said the complaint does not dispute the reported transactions.

“Pampagulo lang ito. Hindi nito sinasagot ang pangunahing tanong, saan nanggaling ang bilyon (This is just a distraction. It does not answer the main issue of where the billions came from),” he said.

“Ang kinukwestyon nila ay kung paano ito nalaman, hindi kung totoo ito (They questioned how this was discovered, not if it is true),” he noted.

Ridon said the lack of denial could further weaken their position.

“Kapag hindi mo dine-deny ang bilyon, mas lalo nitong pinapalala ang kaso (If you did not deny the billions, the case against you only worsens),” he added.

He also argued that the complaint has no legal basis, noting that disclosures were made during a valid impeachment inquiry, where the House has constitutional authority to compel evidence.

“Hindi puwedeng gamitin ang confidentiality laws para takasan ang pananagutan (One cannot hide behind confidentiality laws to evade accountability),” he said.

Ridon added that the cited laws do not prevent scrutiny of public officials in cases involving possible unexplained wealth, and that AMLC reports do not constitute prohibited bank inquiries under existing laws.

House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability chair Joel Chua echoed the view, describing the complaint as an attempt to divert attention from the reported transactions.

“Kaya nga po itong lahat na ito ay maliwanag na para lamang lihisin ang totoong isyu at ang totoong isyu ay mayroon pong pumasok ng PHP6.7 billion sa kanilang bank account ng mag-asawa at hanggang ngayon hindi pa nila ipinapaliwanag at itinatanggi (That’s why all of these are clearly meant to divert from the real issue that PHP6.7 billion passed though the couple’s bank account, that they haven’t explained or denied until now),” he said.

Chua also noted that Carpio has yet to respond to allegations made by former senator Antonio Trillanes IV linking him to alleged drug smuggling activities.

In a separate radio interview, Chua said members of the House Committee on Justice and witnesses are protected by constitutional immunity for actions taken during official proceedings.

“Alam naman po ni Atty. Manases Carpio at mga abogado na ang mga miyembro ng Kamara may immunity from suit lalong-lalo kung ang kanilang ginagawa ay nasa committee level o sa plenaryo…Ito po ay nakapaloob sa ating Saligang Batas. Kaya maliwanag na maliwanag na kami ay hindi pwedeng kasuhan base sa nasabing probisyon ng Saligang Batas (Carpio and other lawyers know that House members have immunity from suit especially when what they are doing are at the committee level or in plenary. This is contained in our Constitution. So, it’s very clear that we cannot be sued based on the provisions of the Constitution)” he said.

Chua added that the panel did not violate banking or anti-money laundering laws, emphasizing that the information presented came from AMLC reports on covered and suspicious transactions, not direct bank records.

“Maliwanag sa Bank Secrecy Law na ang bangko bawal maglabas ng data nila kung maliban na lamang tuwing impeachment proceeding…Ito pong nilalabas namin ay hindi bank account. Ang inilabas dito ay report ng AMLC, mga covered transactions at saka mga suspicious transactions (It is clear in the Bank Secrecy Law that banks are not allowed to disclose data except during impeachment proceedings. What was disclosed is not a bank account, but a report from the AMLC on covered and suspicious transactions),” he said.

“So maliwanag na wala pong paglabag. At dito sa AMLC ito ay bunga ng subpoena duces tecum na inilabas ng Kongreso. So maliwanag po na wala talagang batas na nilalabag dito (There is clearly no violation. The AMLC disclosure is based on the subpoena duces tecum issued by Congress. Clearly, no law was violated here),” Chua added.