MANILA — An account jointly owned by Vice President Sara Z. Duterte and her father, former president Rodrigo R. Duterte, recorded two transactions totaling PHP18.895 million, according to Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) records presented during the Senate impeachment trial Monday.

AMLC Secretariat Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura identified the transactions as the House of Representatives prosecution presented financial records supporting the unexplained wealth allegations against the Vice President under Article II of the impeachment case.

Buenaventura said the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) reported an over-the-counter withdrawal from the joint account on April 8, 2013, with a peso value of PHP9,109,644.80 and a corresponding foreign exchange amount of USD221,322.76.

“So, this account po is owned by former president Rodrigo Duterte and Vice President Sara Duterte,” Buenaventura said.

He explained that the transaction code indicated a withdrawal made over the counter but could not determine whether the actual withdrawal was made in pesos or dollars.

“But I cannot say, Your Honor, whether this was withdrawn over the counter in peso or in dollars, Your Honor. It doesn’t appear on the record,” he said.

Buenaventura stressed that the peso and dollar figures referred to the same transaction and should not be added.

A separate BPI transaction involving the same account was recorded on March 9, 2011, with a peso value of PHP9,785,744.55 and a corresponding foreign exchange amount of USD225,581.94.

The transaction was coded as a debit memo, although Buenaventura said he could not determine what the debit memo specifically represented based on the AMLC record.

The two transactions had a combined peso value of PHP18,895,389.35.

The defense objected to the presentation of information involving foreign currency, citing confidentiality protections covering foreign currency deposits.

Private prosecutor Mae Divinagracia countered that the prosecution was presenting covered transaction reports rather than directly examining foreign currency deposits. She maintained that covered and suspicious transaction reporting is subject to exceptions under applicable confidentiality laws.

373 CTRs involving Sara

Buenaventura also testified that AMLC records contain 373 covered transaction reports (CTRs) involving Duterte and 363 involving her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio.

“Based lang po dito sa summary po (Based on this summary), it’s 373, Your Honor,” Buenaventura said when asked about the number of CTRs involving the Vice President.

“Ang number po is (The number is) 363 po, based on the record, Your Honor,” he said when asked about Carpio.

The AMLC summary presented to the impeachment court showed 70 overlapping reports between Duterte and Carpio, resulting in 666 combined CTRs after duplicate reports were removed.

The presentation of the records forms part of the prosecution’s case under Article II, which accuses Duterte of amassing unexplained wealth disproportionate to her lawful income and failing to fully and truthfully disclose the assets, liabilities and net worth of herself and her husband.

A CTR, however, does not by itself establish that a transaction is illegal or suspicious. Covered persons such as banks are required to report transactions that meet statutory thresholds, while suspicious transaction reports are based on separate indicators and may be filed regardless of transaction amount.

Presiding Officer Sen. Francis Escudero earlier overruled a defense objection questioning the relevance of older transactions, saying the subpoenaed records were intended partly to establish Duterte’s financial baseline.

“This is part of the subpoenaed documents which, when the court issued the subpoena, said is part of establishing the baseline of the respondent’s net worth,” Escudero said.

He added that the records would form part of Buenaventura’s testimony “leading to the actual net worth and/or the presence or absence of ill-gotten wealth.”

The defense has disputed the prosecution’s allegations and questioned the admissibility, relevance and public disclosure of some AMLC records, including documents marked “STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL.”

Prosecution rejects coaching claim

Meanwhile, the House prosecution rejected the defense’s insinuation that Buenaventura may have been coached ahead of his testimony.

“I don’t think he needs to be coached. Magaling ’yung bata (He is smart),” House prosecutor Terry Ridon of Bicol Saro party-list said in an ambush interview.

The issue arose after defense lawyer Mark Vinluan questioned how the prosecution’s presentation slides contained specific examples that Buenaventura later cited while explaining suspicious transaction red flags.

Vinluan said it would have been difficult for the slide preparers to anticipate the examples without prior correspondence with the witness, although he stressed that the defense was “not accusing anyone of anything.”

Divinagracia denied the insinuation, saying the presentation slides were based on AMLC issuances and reporting guidelines previously provided to the prosecution.

During his testimony, Buenaventura identified large and frequent cash withdrawals inconsistent with a client’s financial capacity, rapid movement of funds into and out of accounts, and the splitting of large transactions to avoid reporting requirements as examples of suspicious transaction red flags.

Buenaventura, 38, earned his law degree from Bulacan State University in 2015 and placed 10th in that year’s Bar Examinations. He previously earned a psychology degree from the University of the Philippines.

He is the House prosecution’s witness under Article II of the impeachment case. The AMLC earlier confirmed that it complied with the impeachment court’s subpoena for CTRs, suspicious transaction reports and other records involving Duterte, Carpio and specified entities covering 2007 to 2025.(with info from PNA)