Defense Fights Back: Show Proof the Vice President Took Chinese Money
The battle lines in Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial shifted on October 4 to a sensitive money trail. The Manila Times led its October 4 edition with the defense's public challenge: show proof that the vice president took Chinese money — a direct counterattack on the prosecution's narrative of China-linked remittances.
The dispute stems from bank and anti-money-laundering records introduced under Article II, the unexplained-wealth charge: a food manufacturing company listing Duterte's husband, Manases Carpio, as an incorporator received remittances from entities in China and Hong Kong, which banks flagged as suspicious and reported to the Anti-Money Laundering Council. Prosecutors presented the flows to question whether the couple's assets match their declared income; the testimony was developed further on October 5, putting the remittances at 319 million pesos, about 5.08 million U.S. dollars.
Asked about the testimony, Duterte declined to comment and said her lawyers would respond; the Chinese embassy in Manila did not immediately comment either. On October 6 the National Security Council announced it would review the information presented at the trial for any national security implications, saying the allegations were being taken seriously.
Analysts note that a China-money angle adds geopolitical sensitivity to an already charged trial: Philippine–Chinese friction over the South China Sea has run for years, and any allegation touching Chinese funds is easily amplified. The defense's high-profile pushback aims to keep the burden of proof squarely on prosecutors — in an impeachment court, conviction ultimately depends on whether senator-judges find the evidence meets the standard.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：莎拉·杜特尔特本人官方肖像。摄影：Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs，Public domain，取自 Wikimedia Commons
