Carpio lawyer hits AMLC, lawmakers

A lawyer for Vice President Sara Duterte’s husband, Manases “Mans” Carpio, on Monday accused officials of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) and members of the House justice committee of violating the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA) when they disclosed confidential bank information in connection with the ongoing impeachment proceedings against Duterte.

In an interview, Carpio’s lawyer, Atty. Peter Paul Danao, noted that Section 8(A) of Republic Act 9160, as amended by RA 11521, imposes an absolute prohibition on the AMLC’s disclosure of any banking information it obtains, regardless of context.

“What the law says is that the AMLC is prohibited from disclosing any information it obtains from banks. The AMLC and its secretariat shall not in any way disclose any information, in any manner,” the lawyer said, stressing the phrase “in any manner” as proof that Congress intended no exceptions.

“Our complaint is this: was it proper for the AMLC to release transaction reports? Whether that is true or not, that should not be answered here at the prosecutor’s office. Maybe that should be raised before the impeachment court,” he said.

The complaint filed by Carpio names Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Eli Remolona Jr., AMLC executive director Ronel Buenaventura, and several lawmakers in the House committee hearing the impeachment complaints.

Carpio, his counsel said, was drawn into the impeachment proceedings despite having no direct role in the case. He also questioned why his personal financial records spanning nearly two decades were included.

“We are wondering why we are being dragged into the impeachment proceedings,” the lawyer said, adding that Carpio’s bank transactions from 2006 to 2025 were suddenly made public.

“If you are just an ordinary person, and suddenly your entire financial history since birth is exposed, wouldn’t you object?” he asked.

Danao said that if Congress intended to create exceptions to the AMLA secrecy rule, it should have explicitly written them into the law.

Under RA 9160, the AMLC is authorized to access and examine bank accounts suspected of involvement in money laundering, but Section 8(A) restricts the council and its secretariat from disclosing information to unauthorized parties.

The law allows limited sharing with specific agencies for defined investigations, but public or political disclosure remains a legal gray area.

The BSP, meanwhile, said it was taking note of reports on the filing of a case against its governor.

It said Remolona had yet to receive a copy of the complaint and would respond appropriately before the proper forum.

“We emphasize that the BSP and the AMLC continue to perform their mandates in accordance with the law, guided by independence, professionalism and due process,” it said.

Financial figures ‘affirmed’

Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon, on the other hand, said Carpio’s filing of a complaint over the alleged disclosure effectively affirms the existence and accuracy of the financial figures cited in the reports.

“When Attorney Carpio files his case today, the figures will be tied to him. It’s because his complaint mainly focused on the disclosure, his privacy,” Ridon said in a radio interview.

Meanwhile, House Committee on Justice Chairperson Gerville Luistro said Carpio was merely exercising legal remedies available to him as part of his defense.

Luistro maintained that the committee did not violate any law, noting that the subpoenas issued covered only bank transactions and not actual bank records.

“This is an impeachment case and therefore the totality of all the laws pertaining to transactions and bank records must be considered,” she said.

“The exemption provided in the bank secrecy law must be interpreted in such a way that it should cover any other confidentiality in other existing laws,” she added. “Otherwise, no impeachment proceedings will be completed on the grounds of unexplained wealth.”

Legal basis

Political analyst Dennis Coronacion said the Vice President’s camp may have grounds to question the inclusion of private individuals in proceedings involving her case, noting that Carpio is a private party drawn into a political controversy.

He added that arguments raised over conjugal property issues could also be examined, pointing out that the disclosure of bank information in a public setting may strengthen concerns over how such details were introduced.

However, Coronacion stressed that the Vice President still bears responsibility to directly respond to any questions arising from the Anti-Money Laundering Council’s presentation.

“If the Vice President could not provide a logical explanation to those bank transactions, her reputation could be damaged,” he said in an online message to the DAILY TRIBUNE.