Senator Antonio Trillanes IV (left) and President Rodrigo Duterte (right). INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS
Senator Antonio Trillanes IV impelled the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to fast-track its investigation on the alleged questionable bank transactions of President Rodrigo Duterte.
This, as Trillanes criticized the AMLC for issuing a statement that appeared to have merely protected and cleared Duterte of any wrongdoing.
“The supposed AMLC statement is improper in its necessity for release and in its tenor, which sounded like the AMLC was defending and absolving Duterte,” Trillanes said.
“Instead of issuing unnecessary statements, the AMLC should just expedite its final report regarding Duterte’s questionable bank transactions as requested by the Ombudsman, so that the public would know the truth about the Duterte bank accounts,” he pointed out.
The AMLC earlier denied that it had provided the Office of the Ombudsman any information about Duterte’s bank records. The Ombudsman is currently looking into Duterte’s wealth, acting on the complaint filed by Trillanes.
READ: Ombudsman probes Duterte family’s wealth
READ: Trillanes insists Duterte must sign bank waiver or resign
The AMLC said its secretariat only received last September 6 the August 17-letter from Overall Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Arthur Carandang, requesting the council “to initiate investigation on subject accounts.”
“We have yet to evaluate the request, and the initiation of an investigation, as well as the release of any report on the subject will depend on such evaluation,” the AMLC said.
/kga