MANILA — Atty. Manases “Mans” Carpio, husband of Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio, has filed criminal complaints against top financial regulators and several lawmakers, accusing them of unlawfully disclosing confidential banking information in what he described as a politically motivated breach of financial privacy laws.
Carpio lodged the complaints before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office, naming as respondents Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Eli Remolona Jr., Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura, and members of the House Committee on Justice, including Gerville Luistro, Percival Cendaña, Chel Diokno, and Leila de Lima.
In the complaint, Carpio’s legal team accused the officials of violating the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA), bank secrecy laws, and the Data Privacy Act, alleging that protected financial records were improperly disclosed.
In a statement, his lawyers said the information allegedly exposed included banking data covered by multiple laws safeguarding financial confidentiality.
“Carpio said he was constrained to seek legal action in defense not only of his wife and the Duterte family, but also of the banking and financial community, especially the unwary general public,” the statement read.
Carpio emphasized that secrecy provisions under AMLA are explicit and strictly enforced.
“Congress itself enacted Section 8A of the AMLA prohibiting disclosure in any manner of any reports of banks submitted to the AMLC,” Carpio said.
“There is no exception. The prohibition is absolute. That is what Congress enacted to preserve full security against any disclosure of information or records obtained by the AMLC,” he added.
He further alleged that details of private financial transactions — including insurance payments, time deposits, investments, and utility bills — were leaked and later used for political purposes.
“AMLA is being weaponized to the max, even if illegal and contrary to law, for pure black propaganda with a view to the 2028 national election,” he said.
The filing of charges comes amid heightened scrutiny over financial records linked to Duterte and Carpio. Earlier, the AMLC reported that transactions amounting to P6.7 billion — categorized as covered and suspicious — were recorded under their names. Of the total, P3.7 billion was attributed to Duterte and P2.998 billion to Carpio, with P791 million involving unclear inflows and outflows.
Documents submitted to the House panel reportedly span transactions from 2006 to 2025 and include financial intelligence reports involving the Vice President, her husband, and other individuals./PN
