MANILA – House prosecutors on Wednesday sought to establish what they described as a pattern of concealing about P96 million through manager’s checks purchased using funds from a joint Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) account of Vice President Sara Duterte and her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte.
During Day 35 of Duterte’s impeachment trial, private prosecutor James Bryan Ibrahim Alih questioned BPI Central Manila Branches Division Head Marwin Galvez about two streams of time deposits worth roughly P41.7 million and P55 million.
Bank records presented in court showed that a time deposit initially worth P40.65 million was opened in 2010 and renewed several times before growing to about P41.72 million. After it matured in March 2011, the amount was transferred to the joint account and used to purchase a manager’s check.
Galvez explained that when a manager’s check is purchased, the amount is deducted from the client’s account and transferred to the bank’s settlement account. As a result, the money would not appear in the depositor’s account balance while the check remained outstanding.
Prosecutors said another time deposit of about P55 million underwent similar transactions, bringing the total funds being examined to approximately P96 million.
Alih argued that the transactions could have kept the money from appearing in the account’s year-end balance, describing this as part of an alleged pattern of concealment.
Defense lawyer Michael Poa questioned the relevance of the transactions, noting that they occurred years before Duterte became vice president. Alih said prosecutors were presenting the records to establish a pattern and trace the movement of the funds through the period relevant to the impeachment case.
Galvez also testified that the manager’s-check application shown during the proceedings bore the signature of the former president, not the vice president. Poa said Duterte had “no recollection” of or participation in the accounts.
Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said he reviewed Duterte’s 2010 and 2011 Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth and did not find a declaration corresponding to the P96 million. He said a joint time deposit of that amount should have been reflected in her SALN.
The court also heard that the joint account was later linked to the purchase of insurance products and a P16-million manager’s check payable to businessman Samuel Uy.
The prosecution is presenting the bank records in support of its allegations concerning Duterte’s declared assets and alleged unexplained wealth. The defense has disputed the prosecution’s interpretation of the records and Duterte’s participation in the transactions.
