Sun, Mar 22, 2015

MANILA, Philippines – Curb the powers of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) and stop it from looking into bank accounts without notifying parties under probe.

This is what the law firm representing Vice President Jejomar Binay asked the Supreme Court in its 44-page petition filed last March 11.

The petition filed by the Subido Pagente Certeza Mendoza and Binay (SPCMB) Law Offices was in relation to a reported court order issued by the appellate court allowing a unilateral examination by the AMLC of select accounts of the vice president, his wife Elenita, his daughter Abigail, his alleged bagman Gerry Limlingan, his son and embattled Makati mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay Jr, and the SPCMB law firm itself. Congresswoman Mar-len Abigail Binay, the vice president's daughter, is a partner in the law firm.

In its petition, the law firm said the inquiry should not cover their bank accounts, as the firm is not included in any of the complaints against the Binays.

A plunder complaint was earlier filed against the former Makati mayor and now Vice President Jejomar Binay before the Ombudsman over an alleged overpriced Makati parking building, but only the graft, falsification, violation of procurement law, and other administrative complaints against his son in relation to the building have been approved for preliminary investigation so far.

The elder Binay also faces another plunder complaint before the Ombudsman over the alleged overpriced P1.33 billion Makati Science High School building. His wife Elenita, on the other hand, faces graft cases before the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan for the purchase of allegedly overpriced hospital beds and supplies during her term as Makati mayor.

Plunder, graft and corrupt practices are predicate crimes of money laundering, which allows the AMLC as the government's financial intelligence unit to probe financial instruments related to the commission of these crimes.