An Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) official on Tuesday said he had no personal knowledge of whether Vice President Sara Duterte had amassed unexplained wealth, stressing that his testimony was limited to financial transactions reported to the agency.
AMLC Secretariat Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura, a prosecution witness, returned to the Senate impeachment court as the defense continued its cross-examination.
Defense lawyer Mark Vinluan initially asked Buenaventura about the tabular summary he presented Monday, which showed a P4.4-billion financial trail involving Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio.
‘Malaki po ‘yung mga aggregate amounts contained in your tabular summaries. Pero para lang po maliwanag, ‘yung tabular summaries and reports po ba na ‘yun ay conclusive proof of VP Sara and Atty. Mans’ cash on hand or cash in bank?’ Vinluan asked.
(The aggregate amounts contained in your tabular summaries are quite substantial. But just to be clear, are those tabular summaries and reports conclusive proof of Vice President Sara’s and Atty. Mans’ cash on hand or cash in bank?)
‘No, Your Honor. What the records would only show are the transactions, not the cash in hand or cash in bank,’ Buenaventura said.
Vinluan then asked whether the summary was conclusive proof of Duterte’s alleged unexplained wealth.
Buenaventura said the tabulation was based on covered transaction reports (CTRs) and suspicious transaction reports (STRs) submitted to the AMLC.
He gave the same response when Vinluan asked whether the tabulation was conclusive proof of Duterte’s alleged ill-gotten wealth.
‘For the same answer, I can only rely on what’s provided in the records,’ Buenaventura said.
Vinluan also asked whether the records were conclusive proof of Duterte’s actual wealth as declared in her statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN).
Buenaventura said he had no knowledge of Duterte’s SALN and reiterated that the tabular summary was based on the CTRs and STRs reported to the AMLC.
‘So in other words, Atty. Buenaventura, as AMLC director, you simply do not have personal knowledge that will clearly establish that VP Sara amassed hundreds of millions or billions. Tama?’ Vinluan asked.
‘I have no personal knowledge, Your Honor, but what I’m testifying only is what are indicated in the records regarding transactions reported to us, Your Honor,’ Buenaventura said.
From 2007 to 2025, the AMLC recorded 666 covered transaction reports and 55 suspicious transaction reports involving Duterte and Carpio.