Prosecutors to ‘double check’ Trillanes claims in impeachment trial – Zamora

The numerous claims of former senator Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV against the Dutertes will be double-checked in the coming week of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial as prosecutors proceed with the presentation of financial records from her bank accounts.

This was the assertion of public prosecutor and San Juan Rep. Ysabel “Bel” Zamora had when asked for her thoughts about Trillanes’ allegations that linked Duterte to alleged drug lords and China.

The lawmaker said that they were keeping the former senator’s narrative “at the back of their head” but would not simply take the claims off of face value without proper documentary support.

“We will double check it. We won’t immediately accept it all since we have our own story and we will connect it with official records,” Zamora said in a radio interview.

In the coming week, prosecutors are set to call officials from the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to the witness stand to present their findings on the covered and suspicious transactions recorded from the accounts of Duterte and Atty. Manases “Mans” Carpio.

AMLC previously presented documents before the House Committee on Justice pertaining to P6.7 billion worth of transactions that were observed from the bank accounts of the Duterte-Carpio couple from 2006 to 2025.

Zamora said that the presentation was going to be “tedious” as they were going to be having witnesses that would authenticate voluminous records from their respective agencies.

Even with their own records, she reiterated that Trillanes’ claims could not simply be “ignored” and that there may be evidence that would provide a connection and the money trail related to the allegations

“The witnesses that we will call next will present documents. Of course, like we said, this will be long, very tedious. But we have to remember that these are official documents and they have to be shown to the public through the witnesses,” she said.

On Friday, 2 October, Trillanes conducted a press conference in San Juan where he detailed the alleged sources of wealth of the Duterte family.

He alleged that the Dutertes had received P181 million from alleged drug lord Sammy Uy between 2011 to 2013.

The former senator would also air claims that Sara and Carpio had been receiving millions of amounts from China through their respective business interests.

CALE88 Foods Corporation in particular, a company owned by Carpio, had allegedly received P319 million from China despite merely operating as a banana chip manufacturer.

Duterte’s camp and allies have since challenged Trillanes’ claims, stating that the reports were nothing more than “tired narratives” and “exhausted lies” against them.

Trillanes was previously meant to testify in Sara’s ongoing impeachment trial but was subsequently dropped through an announcement on October 1.

He later went on his social media profile to state that he had asked to be withdrawn as a witness in an effort to relieve “pressure” that was supposedly on members of the prosecution panel.