BANK RECORDS NI SARA BUBUSISIIN

BUBUSISIIN ng nag-iimbestigang House Committee on Justice ang bank records ni Sara Duterte kaugnay ng apat na impeachment complaint na inilatag na iba’t ibang grupo laban sa kanya. Ito ang pahayag ni Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega V ng La Union na ang bahagi ng proseso ng impeachment ang pagbusisi ng komite sa kanyang hindi naipaliwanag na yaman at mga omission sa kanyang statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALNs).

Seryoso at nakababahala ang apat na impeachment complaint na inilatag ng iba’t-ibang grupo laban kay Sara Duterte. Hindi kasi ganap na malinaw ang mga bank statement lalo na ang mga “certain bank accounts, properties and significant cash movements” sa SALNs ni Sara.

Ayon kay Ortega, kailangan maging malinaw ang financial record ni Sara kasama ang mga bank statements at “sworn accounts of large cash transfers” na inihayag niya umano.

Isinumite ni Nathaniel G. Cabrera at inendorso ni Kin. Benny Abante, hepe ng House Committee on Human Rights, ang ikaapat na impeachment complaint laban kay Sara. Tinanggap ang reklamo ni House Secretary General Atty. Cheloy Garafil. Naipasa na ang apat na reklamo sa tanggapan ni Ispiker Faustino “Bojie” G. Dy III at uumpisahan sa ikalawa ng Marso ang masusing pagsisiyasat ng Justice Committee na pinamumunuan ni Kin. Jinky Luistro ng Batangas.
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Sa kanyang reklamo, hiningi ni Cabrera sa Camara de Representantes na mag-isyu ng subpoena para sa mga bank records sa deposits, withdrawals, transfers and account activity mula 2019 hanggang 2025 sa financial record ni Sara. Hiningi rin ang pakikiisa at koordinasyon sa Commission on Audit (CoA), Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), at Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).

“To determine the existence and extent of unexplained wealth and SALN violations, I respectfully request that this Honorable House of Representatives, through the appropriate committee, take the following actions: Issue subpoena for bank records (deposits, withdrawals, transfers, account openings and closures) for accounts held by Respondent, immediate family members, known associates, and corporate entities plausibly connected to Respondent for the period 2019–2025; Order preservation of vault inventories, sealed envelopes, and any physical documentary evidence referenced in Joint Circular No. 201501 pending forensic review; Authorize coordination with COA, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), the AntiMoney Laundering Council (AMLC), and other competent authorities to obtain financial intelligence and to trace crossborder transfers; and Commission an independent forensic accounting team with experience in public corruption cases to produce a detailed tracing report reconciling SALNs with bank and property records,” ani Cabrera.

“These “requests are grounded in this Honorable House of Representatives’ constitutional investigatory powers in impeachment proceedings and in jurisprudence permitting the piercing of bank secrecy where necessary to investigate bribery, unexplained wealth, or corruption.”
Ayon kay Cabrera, “if established, constitutes betrayal of public trust, a culpable violation of constitutional duties to disclose, and may give rise to criminal liability under applicable statutes.”

Binanggit ng reklamo na kasama sa batayang legal ang “constitutional requirement for public disclosure of assets, R.A. No. 6713 (Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees), jurisprudence recognizing exceptions to bank secrecy in corruption and bribery cases, and this Honorable House of Representatives’ investigatory powers in impeachment proceedings.”

Ipinaliwanag ni Ortega na may poder ang Camara na mag-imbestiga sa mga impeachment complaint at inihatag ang jurisprudence na busisiin ang bank secrecy kapag hinihingi ng public interest. Sa lawak ng pagbusisi, ipinaliwanag ni Ortga: “If public officials are required to disclose all assets and live modestly, then any material omission is a serious constitutional concern that the House cannot ignore.”

Nananatili ang impeachment bilang isang proseso ng batas, ani Ortega. “This is not a conviction. This is a process. But when there are sworn statements about large cash transfers and serious red flags in asset declarations, the House cannot look away.”

Dagdag ni Ortega“Oversight is not persecution. It is a constitutional duty. The Constitution is not suspended because someone declares candidacy. If there is nothing to hide, transparency should not be feared.”

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