Sara Duterte's husband files criminal raps against BSP, AMLC, lawmakers
Manases Carpio, husband of Vice President Sara Duterte, filed a criminal complaint at the Quezon City Prosecutor's Office against officials of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and Anti-Money Laundering Council, as well as legislators on the House of Representatives Committee on Justice for disclosing bank transaction records during impeachment hearings against Duterte.
Carpio was accompanied by his legal counsel Peter Paul Danao when he filed the raps on Monday, April 27.
After briefly greeting the media, Carpio headed inside the QC Prosecutor's Office, leaving Danao to address the press.
According to Danao, his client was filing a "criminal case po dahil sa paglabag ng Section 8(a) RA 9160 na inamendahan ng RA 11521. Ang sinasabi po sa batas ay bawal po na isiwalat ng AMLA kahit anong impormasyon na nalakap nila sa mga bangko."
"Ang batas, bago maging batas, pinag-uusapan sa House, sa Senado. So kung meron silang gustong exemption doon sa batas na iyon, dapat ilagay nila. Ang Section 8(a)... ay malinaw, nasabi roon, 'The AMLC and its secretariat shall not, in any way, disclose any information in any manner," added Danao.
Named in the complaint, as Carpio disclosed to the media, are BSP Governor Eli Remolona Jr., AMLC Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura, House of Representatives Committee on Justice Chairperson Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro, Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima, and Akbayan Party-list Representatives Chel Diokno and Percival Cendaña.
Carpio alleged the individuals broke Bank Secrecy Laws and the Data Privacy Act by presenting confidential bank records linked to his wife during Duterte's impeachment proceedings at the House of Representatives. The disclosure of the bank records supposedly violated the Anti-Money Laundering Act, the Data Privacy Act, and bank secrecy laws.
In his statement, Carpio alleged the respondents in his complaint "connived to illegally disclose and divulge classified confidential banking records protected under the RA 9160 or the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA) as amended, Bank Secrecy Law (RA 1405) and Data Privacy Act (RA 10173)."
Duterte impeachment hearing
The impeachment proceedings against Duterte are ongoing at the House of Representatives.
On April 20, Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon shared a document issuing a notice of disallowance by the Commission on Audit for funds the Office of the Vice President under Sara Duterte released in three batches of P125 million cash advances in 2023. The notice indicates the disapproval of the audit of a transaction.
On April 22, during the House deliberations on Duterte's impeachment case, Buenaventura said bank accounts held by Duterte and Carpio reflected 33 suspicious transactions and 630 hidden dealings worth P6.7 billion from 2005 to 2026. The 33 transactions allegedly involved amounts over P500,000 and were supposedly processed in one day.
Additionally, former senator Antonio Trillanes IV shared documents with the House Committee on Justice showing Duterte, Carpio, and members of Duterte's family jointly held bank accounts totaling P111.63 million in April 2016.
Eighteen of the financial transactions cited by Trillanes were confirmed by Buenaventura to match AMLC records.
Held accountable for the disallowed fund releases were Sara Duterte, OVP special disbursement officer Gina Acosta, chief accountant Julieta Villadelrey, and head of the Vice President's Security and Protection Group Col. Raymund Dante Lachica.
Duterte is facing renewed impeachment proceedings initiated by the House of Representatives for alleged misuse of confidential funds, a supposed threat against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, and unexplained wealth, among others.
A previous impeachment complaint against Duterte was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 2025.
