Lawyer Manases R. Carpio, husband of Vice President Sara Duterte, filed criminal charges on Monday, April 27, against Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Eli M. Remolona Jr., in his capacity as chairman of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), the AMLC executive director, and four members of the House of Representatives (HOR).
In his complaint-affidavit, Carpio accused them of violating Republic Act No. 9160 (Anti-Money Laundering Act), RA 1405 (Bank Secrecy Law), and RA 10173 (Data Privacy Act). He filed the charges in their private capacity before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office.
The case stems from impeachment complaints against the Vice President, now pending before the HOR’s Committee on Justice. Aside from Remolona, those charged include AMLC Executive Director Ronel U. Buenaventura and HOR members Gerville Reyes-Luistro (Committee on Justice chair), Percival P. Cendana, Jose Manuel T. Diokno, and Leila M. de Lima.
Prosecutors will evaluate the complaint to determine if a preliminary investigation should proceed. Respondents will be required to submit counter-affidavits, after which prosecutors will decide whether to dismiss the charges or file them in court.
Carpio alleged that the respondents engaged in a “conspiratorial act of disclosing and divulging to the general public the purported reports of banks to the AMLC concerning my account deposits, withdrawals, balances, and related records without prior notice, nor my prior written consent, and worse, despite my vehement cautionary objection during the widely publicized hearing of the House Committee on Justice on April 22, 2026.”
During that hearing, Buenaventura said the AMLC had flagged nearly ₱6.8 billion worth of transactions from bank accounts linked to Vice President Duterte and Carpio between 2006 and 2025. He cited 313 covered transaction reports (CTRs) and 17 suspicious transaction reports (STRs) from the Vice President’s accounts, and 317 CTRs and 16 STRs from Carpio’s accounts.
Carpio argued that the disclosure was intended “to bloat and sensationalize for pure political propaganda and harassment.” He stressed that neither he nor the Vice President had consented to the release of their banking records.
He further noted that RA 9160, as amended by RA 11521, requires AMLC to protect information and penalizes breaches with imprisonment of three to eight years and fines ranging from ₱500,000 to ₱1 million.
He also cited RA 1405, which treats deposits as confidential except under specific circumstances such as impeachment, bribery, or court orders.
On the Data Privacy Act, Carpio said the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive personal information constitutes a violation punishable by imprisonment and fines.
He emphasized: “It is indisputable that the AMLC reports involving me and my wife VP Sara’s banking transactions are sensitive information that cannot be disclosed to anyone. Yet, respondents openly divulged these reports in a public hearing.”
Carpio concluded: “Complainant files this case in defense of the banking and financial system in general, and in defense of the Rule of Law and our judicial system.” (Rey Panaligan)
