(UPDATED 10:02 p.m.) Senator Antonio Trillanes, locked in a heated exchange with President Duterte over their respective bank accounts, on Tuesday afternoon disclosed in a privilege speech that he has unearthed alleged Duterte bank transactions amounting to PhP2,207,257,961.79 covering the period September 2006 to December 2015.
The accusation comes in the wake of President Duterte’s pronouncement recently that he is willing to be shot if it is proven that he has financial wealth in excess of P40 million. “You can shoot me, overthrow me if you want kapag sumbobra ako doon (if I have more than that),” he told soldiers engaged in the fight against terorists in war-torn Marawi City.
“I assure you, all in all, it would not go beyond P40 million,” Duterte declared during the induction of officers of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines at the SMX Convention Center Saturday night.
He elaborated that parts of the amount are from his inheritance and properties, which he said Davao residents know about only too well.
The Duterte Connection
Trillanes said he felt compelled to defend against attacks on his credibility by going to Singapore to personally disprove allegations of offshore bank accounts that were fed to Duterte by connections and attributed to him.
He named the source of the dossier on the contrived bank documents: Daniel “Snooky” Cruz. “Meron siyang mga koneksyon sa Malacañang … senior officials … nakaakbay siya sa mga officials … Siya raw ay well-connected sa US Embassy, federal agent at kaya raw mag access sa kahit anong bank … financial forensic expert (He has connections in Malacañang, claims to be federal agent, well-connected at the US Embassy, and financial forensic expert able to access any bank), based at LTA Bldg. Legaspi Village Makati City.”
P80 million in just one day
Trillanes also claimed that, in April 1 2014, four of Duterte’s accounts purchased so-called Life with Investment insurance policies worth P20 million each for a total of P80 million in just one day.
He revealed that a certain Davao-based businessman, identified as Samuel Uy, had been channeling funds into accounts of the Duterte family members, underscoring that there had been 21 transactions, among others, ranging in amounts between P40 million and P50 million.
As for Snooky Cruz, Trillanes said his contacts at the Philippine Military Academy gave him away.
Cruz was allegedly offered P10 million pesos in exchange for coming out with Trillanes’ bank details, but only P3 million reportedly ended up in his pocket.
Trillanes said the contrived bank accounts attributed to him now were apparently recycled from an earlier template used on Senator Leila de Lima that had been vetted at the time by the staff at the Executive Department and determined to be worthless.
(With additional report from Philippine Star)
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