MANILA, Philippines — Sara Duterte on Thursday denied allegations that she and her husband had billions of pesos in bank transactions, as Antonio Trillanes IV presented financial claims during a House impeachment hearing and government agencies reported related findings.
Duterte issued the denial in a statement after Trillanes testified before the House Committee on Justice, where he cited information from an informant regarding transactions linked to Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio.
The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) reported to the panel that the couple recorded more than 600 bank transactions from 2005 to 2006 amounting to about ₱6.7 billion, with at least 33 flagged as suspicious by banks.
The Commission on Audit (COA) also reported that it disallowed ₱448 million in confidential funds used by the Office of the Vice President in 2022 and 2023, citing issues such as unauthorized disbursement and lack of supporting documents. The amount forms part of ₱612.5 million in confidential funds cited in impeachment complaints.
Duterte said the allegations were untrue and stated that her assets came from legitimate sources and were declared in her statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth. She also criticized Trillanes and questioned the timing of reports released by COA and AMLC.
Trillanes said the financial records supported his claims and maintained that the evidence warranted scrutiny.
The House committee is set to hold a hearing on April 29 to determine whether probable cause exists to proceed with impeachment. Committee chair Rep. Gerville Luistro said lawmakers would vote on whether to elevate the case to the Senate for trial.
Lawmakers said the committee could release its report, including possible articles of impeachment, by May 4 if it finds sufficient basis to proceed.
