AMLC files 12 forfeiture cases on flood control anomalies

MANILA, Philippines — The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) has significantly expanded its probe on alleged anomalies in flood control projects, filing a total of 12 civil forfeiture cases so far as it steps up efforts to recover suspected illicit assets.

In an email to The STAR, the AMLC said the filing of 12 petitions with the Regional Trial Court (RTC) represents a sharp increase from the initial three cases disclosed last month.

“AMLC will file more petitions in the coming days,” the watchdog said.

Of the 12 cases filed, the RTC has issued 11 provisional asset preservation orders, prohibiting the movement or disposal of assets while the forfeiture proceedings are ongoing.

The latest filings build on the AMLC’s earlier disclosure that it had initiated forfeiture proceedings against persons and entities allegedly linked to irregularities in flood control projects, following months of investigation and the securing of freeze orders from the Court of Appeals.

Despite the scale of the probe, the AMLC noted that none of the assets covered by earlier freeze orders were withdrawn or transferred prior to the filing of the forfeiture cases, suggesting that the restrictions imposed earlier were effective in preserving the assets.

The AMLC has yet to disclose the total value of assets covered by the forfeiture cases.

As of March, the AMLC has frozen P27.8 billion worth of assets from 862 individuals and 648 entities in relation to the flood control corruption issue. The assets covered 7,970 bank accounts, 219 real properties, 253 motor vehicles and 11 aircraft.