Defense not surprised by AMLC records

Defense spokesperson Tranquil Salvador III. NOY MORCOSO III

MANILA, Philippines—The defense panel denied they were surprised by the Anti-Money Laundering Council’s (AMLC) records that Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales testified to on Monday.

“That was already being talked about before, that [AMLC] might have looked into [the accounts],” spokesman for the defense panel, Tranquil Salvador said Tuesday.

He said the Senate even conducted an investigation in aid of legislation when the AMLC first got involved in the impeachment trial after it was found that it inquired into Corona’s Philippine Savings Bank account.

Salvador said that Chief Justice Renato Corona agreed to have Morales testify before the Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, because he was confident that there are no dollar accounts.

“Kumpyansya siya na wala eh (He is confident there are no dollar accounts),” Salvador said describing Corona when he agreed to have the Ombudsman testify during one of their meetings.

Salvador said Corona was asked by his defense team about the alleged $10-million deposit and replied there was none. That was why they decided to have the Ombudsman subpoenaed to testify on the alleged dollar accounts.

The Ombudsman had previously received a complaint from several personalities, namely former Akbayan party-list representative Risa Hontiveros and current representative Walden Bello, alleging Corona has $10 million in bank deposits.

Corona had issued statements denying the existence of such dollar accounts.

Morales testified on Monday that Corona has at least $12 million “fresh deposits”, meaning they have not been moved, in five banks and had moved money “circuitously” among 82 account from 2003 to 2011.

She based her testimony on a 17-page document given to her by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) detailing 705 transactions among the alleged dollar accounts in Corona’s name.

Corona had already issued a statement calling the testimony of Morales as “lies,” and “quite unfortunate, if not very malicious.”

“I do not know how she came up with her own mathematical equation. She made a hodgepodge out of the accounts, making her numbers chaotic…The number of accounts alone is at best ridiculous. Her PowerPoint diagram is a lantern of lies which only messed up her presentation, contrary to what some believe now as damning evidence,” Corona said.