(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday named the source of the supposed bank documents attached to Senator Antonio Trillanes’ complaint against him.
Duterte said it was “Abad” of the Anti-Money Laundering Council who gave the documents to the senator, who then gave the same to Deputy Ombudsman for Mindanao Rodolfo Elman.
Elman, Duterte said, then gave the same to Overall Deputy Ombudsman Arthur Carandang.
Carandang, who said he has been given the go-signal to look into the Duterte family’s wealth based on Trillanes’ complaint, earlier claimed these documents had come from the AMLC.
The AMLC, however, denied they had given any document to anyone in the first place.
President Duterte said he did not know Abad’s first name, but that she was a “mistress” of Trillanes.
Abad identified
But in a statement, Trillanes himself said the President was referring to Julia Abad, who stepped down as executive director of AMLC in January.
Abad, a daughter of then-President Benigno Aquino III’s Budget Secretary Butch Abad who was also Presidential Management chief during her father’s government stint, stepped down after Duterte hit AMLC for its “failure” to immediately provide the Department of Justice with information on the supposed bank transactions of some individuals, including Senator Leila de Lima.
These people allegedly benefited from the illegal drugs trade in the New Bilibid Prison.
“I categorically deny itong huling imbentong istorya ni Duterte. Nakakalungkot lang na meron pang nadadamay na ibang tao. In this case, si Atty. Julia Bacay-Abad na kilala bilang isang disente at pamilyadong tao na naging propesyonal sa kaniyang paglilingkod bilang executive director ng AMLC,” Trillanes said.
“Mr. Duterte, wag mo daanin sa kabastusan ang pag-iwas mo sa tunay na isyu ng bilyon bilyong pera mo sa bangko,” he claimed.