Ampatuans try to withdraw
Cotabato accounts

Lawyers reportedly representing prominent members of the Ampatuan clan tried this morning, December 3, to withdraw money from Cotabato City bank accounts that form part of the Ampatuan wealth ordered frozen by the government.

At least two lawyers claiming to represent the Ampatuans reportedly tried to get officials of the Banco de Oro branch in Makakua, Cotabato City to release funds. It is not clear if the lawyers were successful.

The attempt comes just hours after a six-month freeze order imposed by the Court of Appeals on almost 600 bank accounts linked to the Ampatuans expired last night. Media groups had warned government of reports that the clan would try to move funds as soon as the bank accounts are unfrozen. In a last-minute move to keep the funds frozen, the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLAC), through the Office of the Solicitor General, filed a civil forfeiture case against the Ampatuans before the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 22. The government at the same time asked the court for a provisional asset preservation order which is similar to a freeze order. The case was filed on Dec. 1, 2011, or just one day before the original freeze order expired, causing media groups to complain about govenment’s last-minute actions.

Fortunately, the Manila RTC issued a new freeze order yesterday.

The AMLAC is going after more than a billion pesos in assets linked to the family of former Maguindanao governor Andal Ampatuan Sr. The AMLAC complaint is based on the findings of the Commission on Audit of irregularities in spending and disbursements by Ampatuan family members who held high positions in the region; as well as the report by a lifestyle check panel led by Deputy Ombudsman for Mindanao Humphrey Monteroso. The lifestyle check panel found some 597 bank accounts linked to the Ampatuans, as well as an entire collection of mansions, vehicles, and guns.