AMLC Testimony: 319 Million Pesos in China-Linked Remittances to Duterte Family Firm Draw Security Review
The most sensitive money lead yet in Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial surfaced on Monday, October 5. Reuters reported on October 6 that an Anti-Money Laundering Council official testified Monday that a food manufacturing company listing Duterte's husband, Manases Carpio, as an incorporator received 319 million pesos — about 5.08 million U.S. dollars — in remittances from entities in China and Hong Kong, flagged by banks as suspicious and reported to the AMLC.
The remittances form part of the prosecution's Article II on unexplained wealth, under which prosecutors are scrutinizing whether the couple's declared assets are consistent with their income and financial dealings. The nature of the remittances was not immediately clear. Duterte declined to comment and said her lawyers would respond; the Chinese embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The matter escalated outside the courtroom: on October 6 the National Security Council said it was reviewing the information presented during the trial to assess any potential national security implications. National Security Adviser Eduardo Oban said in a statement that the allegations were being taken seriously — moving the money trail beyond the impeachment itself into a security review.
What has been disclosed so far is a set of corporate remittances reported through banks' compliance systems, whose nature and purpose no court has yet determined. The security council's assessment and the trial's next steps will determine how the lead is ultimately characterised.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：菲律宾参议院议事厅。摄影：PNA photo by Avito Dalan，Public domain，取自 Wikimedia Commons
