AMLC chief takes witness stand in VP Sara impeachment trial
MANILA – Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura took the witness stand Monday as the Senate impeachment court resumed the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, with proceedings shifting to financial records presented in connection with allegations of unexplained wealth.
Buenaventura’s testimony on Day 33 is expected to cover summaries of covered transaction reports (CTRs) and suspicious transaction reports (STRs) involving Duterte, her husband Manases Carpio, and 15 juridical entities.
The documents include transactions involving Duterte and Carpio from 2022 to 2025, records involving the 15 entities from 2007 to 2025, inward remittances to Calle 88 Foods Corp. from China and other countries, and insurance and investment-related transactions.
Buenaventura’s testimony was originally scheduled for Oct. 1 but was deferred after the defense sought additional time to review the AMLC records and prepare for direct and cross-examination.
During hearings before the House justice panel in April, Buenaventura testified that AMLC records showed covered and suspicious transactions involving Duterte and Carpio with a combined value of about Php 6.7 billion. Around Php 3.7 billion was attributed to Duterte and about Php 2.998 billion to Carpio.
The amounts represent the aggregate value of transactions classified as covered or suspicious and do not, by themselves, establish that the funds constitute unexplained wealth or were illegally acquired. The defense will have the opportunity to challenge the records, their interpretation and their evidentiary weight.
The financial records form part of the prosecution’s presentation under Article II of the impeachment complaint, which involves allegations of unexplained wealth and incomplete disclosure of assets.
