Day 34 of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial produced additional financial evidence as the Senate impeachment court continued examining Article II, which concerns allegations of unexplained wealth.
Anti-Money Laundering Council Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura testified that Cale88 Foods Corp., a company linked to Duterte’s husband Manases “Mans” Carpio, had approximately ₱1.25 billion in aggregated covered and suspicious transactions from 2022 to 2025.
The proceedings also examined bank records showing multiple active accounts associated with Duterte containing amounts substantially higher than the cash and bank balances reportedly reflected in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth.
Presiding officer Senator Francis Escudero questioned the apparent difference between the financial transactions reflected in AMLC records and the couple’s reported net worth and income.
However, the testimony also established an important limitation.
A covered or suspicious transaction report is not, by itself, a finding of illegal activity or money laundering. AMLC Executive Director Buenaventura repeatedly acknowledged during cross-examination that the reports do not automatically establish that the funds were illegally obtained.
The prosecution is attempting to use the financial records to support its allegations under Article II. Duterte’s defense maintains that transaction totals cannot simply be treated as income, personal wealth or evidence of wrongdoing.
Bank Officials Next
The financial phase of the trial is expected to continue on Day 35.
The House prosecution has lined up representatives from banks and other financial institutions to testify about records connected with Article II.
Their testimony could become important because the court is moving beyond AMLC’s aggregated transaction reports and toward the underlying financial records themselves.
The central issue remains unresolved: whether prosecutors can connect those transactions to assets or income attributable to Duterte and demonstrate that they support the allegations contained in the Articles of Impeachment.
As of the end of Day 34, the impeachment court has made no finding that the transactions constitute unexplained wealth, money laundering or another criminal offense.
