THE IDEA OF presenting a former bank manager didn’t quite sit well for the House prosecution panel ‘s quest to secure conviction for Article 1 of the impeachment complaint filed against Vice President Sara Duterte.
Testifying before the Senate Impeachment Court, LandBank Shaw Boulevard branch’s former department manager Violeta Constantino, the P500 million in encashments made by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) is “unusual” but not “suspicious.”
Constantino was presented by the House prosecution panel as its first witness for Article I (alleged misuse, misappropriation, and irregular liquidation of confidential funds from the OVP and the Department of Education) of the impeachment complaint against Duterte.
According to Constantino, she personally oversaw former OVP Special Disbursing Officer Gina Acosta’s encashment of four checks amounting to P125 million each. The cash, she claimed, was placed inside four gym bags and brought outside through the bank’s fire exit.
During the inquiry, Senator-Judge Bam Aquino asked Constantino if LandBank reported the encashment as a suspicious transaction given its high amount.
She however didn’t budge citing restrictions under the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA), and instead clarified that all transactions exceeding P500,000 are automatically reported to the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).
“But that doesn’t automatically mean the transaction is suspicious… For us, it was not really suspicious.”
Pressed further, Aquino then sought enlightenment as to the bank’s basis for reporting suspicious transactions, Constantino said they qualify a transaction as such once they determine it to be “doubtful.”
“For this particular transaction, wala po kaming duda kasi legit naman po ang transaction… complied po mga standard requirements.”
