Sara Duterte impeach trial enters crucial week with AMLC, bank execs testifying

MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Sara Z. Duterte’s impeachment trial enters a crucial week Monday, with the House prosecution set to present witnesses from the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), banks, insurance companies and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) as it moves closer to completing its unexplained wealth case.

The Senate impeachment court is scheduled to hold full-day hearings from Oct. 5 to 9, giving prosecutors five consecutive trial days to present financial records involving Duterte, her husband, lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio, and companies linked to them.

First on the witness stand is AMLC Secretariat Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura, whose testimony was postponed last week after the defense sought more time to review voluminous financial records and prepare for cross-examination.

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“Una, isasalang po finally ’yun pong AMLC executive director patungkol doon sa mga transactions ng mag-asawang Duterte-Carpio at mga kumpanya po nila,” House prosecutor and Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon said at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City.

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Buenaventura is expected to testify on summaries of covered and suspicious transaction reports involving Duterte, Carpio and several companies, as well as inward remittances and insurance and investment-related transactions.

Ridon said the postponement and the weekend should give the defense sufficient time to review the records. Prosecutors expect to complete their direct examination of Buenaventura, the defense’s cross-examination and questions from senator-judges on Monday.

“So we’re expecting matapos po for Monday ’yung pong AMLC executive director for direct, for cross, at questions of Senate judges,” Ridon said.

Buenaventura previously testified before the House Committee on Justice on AMLC records covering billions of pesos in transactions involving Duterte and Carpio. 

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The aggregate figures represent recorded transactions and are not, by themselves, a finding that the amounts were illegally acquired or constitute unexplained wealth.

After Buenaventura, officials from seven banks and seven insurance and financial firms have been ordered to appear before the impeachment court beginning Tuesday to testify and produce financial records.

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The seven banks are Land Bank of the Philippines, Asia United Bank, Philippine Savings Bank, Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co., Bank of the Philippine Islands, Philippine National Bank and BDO Unibank.

Also summoned are representatives of Prudential Life, Allianz, Manufacturers Life, FWD Life, BPI-AIA Life, BDO Securities and BDO Life.

The prosecution also intends to summon a BIR witness to present records on the couple’s income and taxes as part of its effort to build a more complete picture of their finances.

“At panghuli, ’yun pong BIR para makita po natin ’yung pong income, net of taxes, ng mag-asawang Duterte-Carpio para magkaroon po tayo ng, lagi po nating binabanggit, na most complete picture ng kayamanan, supposedly kayamanan, ng atin pong Pangalawang Pangulo at ng kanya pong asawa,” Ridon said.

The witnesses form part of the prosecution’s presentation under Article II, which accuses Duterte of amassing unexplained wealth, failing to fully and truthfully disclose her and her spouse’s assets, liabilities and net worth, and continuing business interests while serving as vice president.

Prosecutors have already presented evidence involving Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth, corporate interests, real properties and firearms. 

The coming AMLC, bank, insurance and tax records are expected to be compared with those disclosures as prosecutors seek to establish whether the couple’s finances are consistent with their declared wealth.

The prosecution expects to move closer to the end of its unexplained wealth presentation once the remaining financial witnesses are completed.

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The impeachment court is also scheduled to hold full-day hearings from Oct. 12 to 15 before the trial pauses for Senate deliberations on the proposed 2027 national budget.