Trillanes pushes Senate to start probe on Duterte’s ‘unexplained’ wealth

President Rodrigo Duterte (left) and Senator Antonio Trillanes IV (right). (INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS)

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV renewed his call on Friday for the Senate committee on banks to investigate President Rodrigo Duterte’s alleged unexplained wealth.

This was after the Office of the Ombudsman revealed that the sole reason behind the termination of Duterte’s plunder case was the refusal of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to cooperate and submit vital data.

“Based on the statement of the Ombudsman, the only reason why the investigation against Duterte was closed, without prejudice to reopening in the future, is the refusal of AMLC to submit vital data, specifically, the detailed bank transactions of Duterte,” Trillanes said in a statement.

“Let us remember that the Executive Director of AMLC was appointed by Duterte and has since been proactively protecting his political master,” he also said.

The senator, who has been one of Duterte’s staunchest critics, was referring to AMLC Executive Director Mel Georgie Racela.

He earlier claimed that Duterte appointed Racela to the AMLC post only in January 2017 so that the start of his term “doesn’t cover that time [the AMLC meeting in 2016].”

“Now, 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,” Trillanes said.

“Ultimately, the truth about this very important issue is stored in the data storage of AMLC and BPI,” he added.

Trillanes earlier filed a resolution asking a Senate investigation into the alleged bank documents under the name of Duterte and his daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.  The measure had been referred to the Senate committee on banks, and Senate blue ribbon panel.

Trillanes claimed that those bank documents would show the father and daughter’s alleged “undisclosed covered transactions,” or transactions exceeding P500,000.00, which “may have violated the Anti-Money Laundering Act (Amla).”          /kga