MANILA, Philippines– Jesus Crispin Remulla on Thursday said his office is facing a “problem” with the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) regarding their investigation into the multibillion-peso flood control corruption scandal.
Remulla made the remarks following the resignation of AMLC Executive Director Matthew David, who requested a transfer to another position within the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. He has been replaced in an officer-in-charge capacity by Arnold Kabanlit.
Remulla emphasized that the AMLC should not protect the banking industry and must fulfill its duties, warning that failure to do so could result in legal action. He also stressed that former AMLC officials should be barred from employment in banks to avoid conflicts of interest.
In a related development, Deputy Ombudsman Mico Clavano clarified that assets of individuals implicated in the flood control probe will remain frozen despite the automatic six-month expiration of freeze orders. Clavano explained that civil forfeiture petitions filed by AMLC serve as the punitive measure, ensuring the assets stay under government control while the cases proceed.
“The freeze order is only a preventive measure; it is not yet a punishment,” Clavano said, emphasizing that the ultimate goal is to recover taxpayers’ money obtained from the flood control scandal. So far, AMLC has filed three petitions for civil forfeiture linked to the corruption investigation.