Bilibid drug trade may have benefited private companies—Aguirre

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II. MARIANNE BERMUDEZ/INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Private corporations may have benefited from drug transactions inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP), Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said after receiving bank transaction reports from the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).

On Thursday, Aguirre met with AMLC officials and turned over bank transaction reports that may have links to high-profile inmates and their ties outside.

READ: Bank records allegedly linked to drug syndicates sent to DOJ

Tracing where the proceeds of the transactions went, Aguirre said they received a really good report from the AMLC.

He, however, refused to identify the name of the corporations.

The AMLC report will be turned over to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) which will conduct further investigation.

“It will be up to them to pursue the lead,” Aguirre said.

When asked about the role of the corporations, Aguirre explained that there are names of their stockholders who are friends of drug lords.

Aguirre refused to divulge the amount involved in the drug transactions based on AMLC documents.

He said the amount is still confidential.

“We still cannot determine the exact amount because we are still in the process of gathering more evidence,” Aguirre added. RAM