Davao:A Ukrainian company, Arkmen LLC, has been identified in the foreign transaction records of CaLe88 Foods Corp., a Davao-based exporter, as having sent its last remittance after a criminal investigation for alleged fraud and money laundering began in Ukraine. This information was disclosed by Senator-judge Risa Hontiveros during the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte.

According to Philippines News Agency, the remitter, Arkmen LLC, was identified by its Ukrainian registration number 41423974. The review of CaLe88's foreign transactions, excluding those from China, revealed that the last remittance from Arkmen was recorded on May 30, 2025, while the criminal investigation had commenced on May 19.

Hontiveros sought clarification from Anne Loraine Garcia-Marquez, the chief of staff for the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Office of the Commissioner, regarding the legitimacy of these transactions. Marquez stated that legitimate commercial transactions should be reflected in CaLe88's annual income tax return if they were sales.

The Senator suggested that the issue could be scrutinized through the existing collaboration between the BIR and the Anti-Money Laundering Council to verify if the foreign funds matched the sales reported for tax purposes. Marquez had previously confirmed that such coordination is part of their process for investigating potential taxpayer violations.

CaLe88 is among nine businesses under a BIR audit initiated in April, involving Vice President Duterte, her husband lawyer Manases Carpio, and related companies. Prior records from the Securities and Exchange Commission, presented during the impeachment proceedings, highlighted CaLe88's financial activities, ownership, and its connection to the financial interests declared by Duterte and Carpio.