Senator Panfilo Lacson has warned against attempts by private interests to influence the leadership and operations of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), saying the financial intelligence body must remain independent.

“What the council is doing is good, so it should not be meddled with,” Lacson said in an interview. “They should not remove people there just to install someone’s favorite,” he added.

Lacson said any attempt to interfere with the AMLC could violate the law and expose those responsible to criminal charges.

He added that he had not personally heard of reports that a private businessman was trying to influence the council’s board composition, but stressed that such interference would be unacceptable.

“That cannot be allowed. The AMLC is governed by law. It has its own processes and mandate,” he said.

The senator stopped short of directly calling on Eli Remolona Jr., who heads the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and chairs the AMLC, to publicly expose and pursue charges against individuals allegedly attempting to undermine the council’s independence.

Lacson said the Senate has been pushing amendments to strengthen the powers of the AMLC, particularly its ability to trace suspicious financial transactions and combat illicit financial flows.

“We have several recommendations to further strengthen the Anti-Money Laundering Council, especially its powers,” he said.