Forensic probe reveals Revilla’s P87M deposits

Sen. Ramon ‘Bong’ Revilla Jr. with wife Lani Mercado face the public on the night before he surrenders to PNP. Screenshot of Solar News footage.

MANILA – A forensic investigation into the bank transactions of Sen. Bong Revilla’s family revealed a total of P87.626-million deposits made by the senator, his wife, his children and some of his siblings.

These figures were indicated in a report on the Revillas’ bank transactions from 2006 to 2010 by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (ALMC).

“Considering all the foregoing, there are indications of money laundering scheme using the aforementioned bank accounts,” the AMLC said in a confidential report received by the Office of the Ombudsman on Oct. 8.

“There is, however, a need to conduct further investigation to determine the extent of the subjects’ participation and identify the other monetary instruments that were possibly involved in the laundering scheme,” the report added.

The report has also indicated that more than P40 million were channeled to a dummy corporation, Nature Concepts Development and Realty Corp., controlled by Cavite Rep. Lani Mercado, Revilla’s wife.

The AMLC also said that the withdrawals and deposits made from the bank accounts of the five foundations directly corresponds with the names, amounts and dates in the log entries made by the pork barrel scam whistleblower, Benhur Luy.

Luy, who is the financial officer of the alleged pork barrel scam mastermind, Janet Lim Napoles, made notes of the cash and check disbursements of Napoles.

The said ledger containing notes of all the transactions is now one of the evidence in the trial of the P10-billion pork barrel scam case involving Revilla, Senator Juan Ponce Enrile and Senator Jinggoy Estrada.

The said report was presented in court as latest evidence against Revilla, by the Ombudsman prosecution team led by Director Joefferson B. Toribio.

Meanwhile, Justice Undersecretary Jose Justiniano, adviser to the prosecution team noted that the report presented by the prosecution was vital in proving that the senator received kickbacks.

“When we took up the case, we did not know the extent or who would be included, we had only Luy’s testimony and files to work on,” Justiniano said.

“The lifting of the bank secrecy law definitely strengthened our case because we are now talking of documentary evidence and not only testimonial evidence,” he added.

Meanwhile, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima described the evidence against Revilla as “slum dunk.”