Trillanes calls for inquiry into AMLC failure to help Ombudsman

Senator Antonio Trillanes answers questions from the media during a press conference at the Senate. EDWIN BACASMAS

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV is pushing for a Senate inquiry into the refusal of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to cooperate with the Ombudsman’s investigation of President Duterte’s alleged unexplained wealth.

Trillanes, one of the President’s fiercest critics, reiterated his call for the Senate committee on banks, financial institutions and currencies to look into Mr. Duterte’s accounts after the Office of the Ombudsman claimed that it had terminated its own investigation due to the refusal of the AMLC to cooperate.

“Let us remember that the executive director of the AMLC was appointed by Duterte and has since been proactively protecting his political master,” Trillanes said in a statement on Friday, referring to AMLC Executive Director Mel Georgie Racela.

‘Refiling of complaint’

The antigraft body, however, said the closure and termination of its field investigation was “without prejudice to the refiling of a complaint with new or additional evidence.”

“In the interest of transparency and accountability, I am calling on the Senate committee on banks to conduct an inquiry so we could summon the AMLC and question the legality of its refusal to comply with the Ombudsman’s request,” the senator insisted.

Trillanes pointed out that the truth about such a “very important issue” could be found in the data storage of the AMLC and the Bank of Philippine Islands, where he alleged Mr. Duterte had billions of pesos in transactions.

Gordon’s committee

Earlier this month, the opposition senator filed a resolution directing the committee on banks, headed by Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero, to inquire whether Mr. Duterte and his daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, violated the Anti-Money Laundering Act.

The Senate referred the resolution to the blue ribbon committee, chaired by Sen. Richard Gordon, and to the banks committee as the secondary panel.

Escudero earlier said he expected the inquiry to “always be hitting a wall” without the cooperation of the depositors and because of the bank secrecy law.