Retired Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang told the Senate impeachment court that government officials cannot use their spouse’s private income or bank accounts to shield themselves from allegations of ill-gotten wealth.
Testifying for the House prosecution panel, Cabotaje-Tang cited Section 8 of Republic Act 3019, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, which allows investigators to examine assets of a public official’s spouse and children.
“The properties in the name of other persons and even the spouse and the children may be considered in determining whether the official has unlawfully [acquired wealth],” Cabotaje-Tang told the Court under examination by Rep. Chel Diokno of the House prosecution panel.
She stressed that properties registered under relatives may be attributed to the official if they lack independent financial capacity to acquire them.
Her testimony directly challenged Vice President Sara Duterte’s defense that her husband’s bank accounts cannot be scrutinized because he is a private citizen. The Anti-Money Laundering Council earlier reported P6.77 billion worth of transactions linked to Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio.
Cabotaje-Tang also confirmed that spousal assets must be declared in the Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN), unless covered by a prenuptial agreement. Duterte and Carpio do not have one.
She further noted that declaring “zero cash on hand or in banks” in Duterte’s SALNs from 2019 to 2024 violated the Code of Conduct for Public Officials, which requires specific disclosure of cash assets. ||
