Manila: Whether money remained in Vice President Sara Duterte's bank accounts by December 31 emerged Monday as a key issue in her unexplained wealth case, as a former Sandiganbayan chief drew a distinction between annual asset declarations and money that merely passed through an account.
According to Philippines News Agency, on Day 24 of Duterte's impeachment trial, former Sandiganbayan presiding justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang explained that funds deposited and withdrawn before the end of a calendar year would not need to appear as an asset in the Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) filed the following year. "Hindi na po, sir, kasi wala na yung asset na yun or pondo as of December 31 of that year (No more, sir, because that asset or fund was no longer there as of Dec. 31 of that year)," Tang told presiding officer Francis 'Chiz' Escudero.
Despite this distinction, Tang noted that such money movements could still be subject to an Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) inquiry. This could play a significant role in Article II, where House prosecutors cited PHP6.77 billion in covered and suspicious transactions recorded by the AMLC involving Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, from 2006 to 2025.
AMLC records presented earlier to the House showed PHP3.77 billion in transactions linked to Duterte's accounts and PHP2.99 billion to Carpio's, covering 663 reports. The prosecution contrasted these transactions with Duterte's SALNs, which displayed no declared cash on hand or cash in bank from 2019 to 2024.
Escudero's questioning underscored that the aggregate value of transactions over several years does not necessarily equate to the amount of wealth that should appear in a particular SALN. Tang initially referred to assets held when a SALN is filed but corrected herself after Escudero pointed out that the declaration covers assets and liabilities as of December 31, even though the filing deadline is April 30.
Earlier, Senator-judge Erwin Tulfo posed a scenario involving PHP20 million to PHP50 million deposited in an official's account and withdrawn after several days. Tang clarified that if the money was no longer in the account by the relevant SALN reporting date, it would not be part of the declared bank balance, although the transaction might still warrant examination by AMLC.
The Senate impeachment court will review more than 1,800 bank, insurance, and other financial records marked by the prosecution and defense for the unexplained wealth phase of the trial. Article II also accuses Duterte of possessing wealth disproportionate to her lawful income, discrepancies in her SALNs, and continued business interests while serving as Vice President.
