Vittorio Hernandez – AHN News
Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines (AHN) – The Philippine Court of Appeals froze on Tuesday assets of a powerful political family in the country’s south who have been charged with masterminding the murder of 57 people in Maguindanao Province.
The court approved a 20-day freeze order, which covers assets in banks and other establishments of two members of the Ampatuan clan, The suspects are the believed to have more than $23.1 million (PHP 1 billion) in ill-gotten wealth.
The issue of the freeze order was based on a petition by the Anti-Money Laundering Council. In granting the AMLC petition, the court said that the Ampatuan bank accounts and other properties could be linked to unlawful activities. Unless the funds are frozen, the money could be withdrawn from the banks and properties sold, which would place the assets beyond the reach of law.
The assets belong to Andal Ampatuan Sr. and eldest son Zaldy. Members of the Ampatuan clan are mostly politicians and owners of palatial homes, luxury vehicles and arms cache spread in different towns of Maguindanao, the scene of the gruesome murder of 57 journalists and relatives of the Ampatuans’ political rival in November 2009.
Ampatuan Sr., patriarch of the clan and former governor of Maguindanao, recently pleaded not guilty to multiple murder charges filed against him and eight other accused.
The court ordered the 32 banks and other entities allegedly owned by the Ampatuans to provide it with the account numbers and names of owners, amount of money and property at the time the freeze order was issued.
The AMLC went after the Ampatuan wealth after the agency conducted a lifestyle check on the powerful political clan and suspected their assets could be illegally sourced because most of them were covered by questionable documents.
Ampatuan Sr. also failed to include in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth – which is required of government officials – real properties with $2 million (PHP 90.46 million).
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