NATIONAL
Advocates Philippines
20 Years, No Case: Lawyer Questions Alleged Bank Records
FILE
A lawyer is pushing back against recent claims surrounding reported bank transactions, arguing that decades of monitoring have not resulted in a single money laundering case.
In a post, Atty. Raymond Batu urged the public not to be swayed by what he described as narratives driven by scripts and optics, stressing that reports made to the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) are part of standard financial oversight and not proof of wrongdoing.
“Mga Kababayan, huwag tayong padadala sa script at optics.”
Under the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA), banks and other covered institutions are required to report transactions exceeding ₱500,000 in a single banking day, as well as activities deemed suspicious. These reports are meant to flag unusual patterns and allow authorities to assess whether further investigation is needed.
Batu emphasized, however, that such reports are not equivalent to criminal charges and should not be treated as evidence of illegal activity.
“But a report is not a criminal charge. It is only a lead.”
He pointed out that despite reported transactions spanning from 2006 to 2025, no money laundering case has been filed based on those records. For Batu, this indicates that the reports did not develop into evidence strong enough to support prosecution.
The lawyer added that while suspicion may justify scrutiny, it does not replace the need for proof of unlawful activity, maintaining that the absence of any filed case suggests the transactions in question fall within normal banking activity.
In a post, Atty. Raymond Batu urged the public not to be swayed by what he described as narratives driven by scripts and optics, stressing that reports made to the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) are part of standard financial oversight and not proof of wrongdoing.
“Mga Kababayan, huwag tayong padadala sa script at optics.”
Under the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA), banks and other covered institutions are required to report transactions exceeding ₱500,000 in a single banking day, as well as activities deemed suspicious. These reports are meant to flag unusual patterns and allow authorities to assess whether further investigation is needed.
Batu emphasized, however, that such reports are not equivalent to criminal charges and should not be treated as evidence of illegal activity.
“But a report is not a criminal charge. It is only a lead.”
He pointed out that despite reported transactions spanning from 2006 to 2025, no money laundering case has been filed based on those records. For Batu, this indicates that the reports did not develop into evidence strong enough to support prosecution.
The lawyer added that while suspicion may justify scrutiny, it does not replace the need for proof of unlawful activity, maintaining that the absence of any filed case suggests the transactions in question fall within normal banking activity.
Apr 22, 2026
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