The lawyers of Atty. Manases Carpio said the House Committee on Justice was practicing “selective justice” in its disclosure of records from the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) involving the bank transactions of their client and his spouse, Vice President Sara Duterte.

Atty. Neil Abayon said their concerns over what they described as the Justice panel’s inconsistent rulings stemmed from its earlier decision to defer the opening of a box containing Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) tax records during its 29 April session.

Abayon argued that the pursuit of accountability among public officials should not come at the expense of the confidentiality of private citizens, saying the disclosure of the AMLC findings amounted to a “grave abuse of discretion.”

“When we talk about the issue of the right to accountability versus the rights of private citizens, we have to remember that the rights of private citizens are also constitutionally protected under the Bill of Rights,” he said.

He said it was the responsibility of the lawmakers to explain to the public why their actions were inconsistent with the Constitution.

On a separate issue, Atty. Peter Paul Danao said Carpio strongly denied that he had P6.7 billion in transactions, calling the figure “fake and a blatant lie.”

Danao also likened the reports on the AMLC findings to “Marites” talk, saying the amounts were based on rumors and loose interpretations since the council merely aggregated transactions over a 20-year period.

He said neither the AMLC nor the House committee had clearly explained how the figures were computed or where they came from.

“They just left it hanging in the air, saying there was six billion, but they didn’t explain how they arrived at that figure,” he said.

Danao also cited an unverified report circulating on social media claiming that the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) flagged 13 transactions in Carpio’s account amounting to P2 billion due to a supposed system bug.

The lawyers, however, have yet to confront the BPI regarding the claim, noting that they still have not received a copy of the AMLC report from the House Committee on Justice despite requesting it since 29 April.

Carpio camp warns media

Meanwhile, Carpio’s camp said members of the media could face liability over reports involving the AMLC.

Danao cited Anti-Money Laundering Act provisions, saying covered transactions cannot be disclosed.

“If it cannot be uncovered then the media cannot report the alleged bank transaction reports because the law prohibits the media from quoting and showing the transactions,” he said.