More assets of officials linked to flood control mess frozen

ASSETS worth billions that belong to public officials behind the flood control scandal have been frozen as the Court of Appeals issued two new freeze orders on Tuesday, the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) said.

The assets belong to an incumbent high-ranking official from an independent constitutional body and a former elected government official, the AMLC said, but did not identify the individuals.

These were frozen as they were determined to be linked to breaches of the Republic Act No. 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act as well as the Malversation of Public Funds and Property under Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code, as amended.

The two recent orders froze 230 bank accounts and 15 insurance policies. It also covered two helicopters and one airplane valued at around P3.9 billion.

This brought the total value of all frozen assets linked to the flood control mess to P11.7 billion, including 3,566 bank accounts, 198 insurance policies, 247 motor vehicles, 178 real properties and 16 e-wallet accounts.

The AMLC said the value will continue to rise following the issuance of the new freeze orders.

“The issuance of the freeze orders will enable AMLC to pursue a more extensive financial investigation to uncover any possible money laundering scheme linked to the flood control projects,” AMLC Executive Director Matthew M. David said in a statement on Wednesday.

“The public can be assured that the AMLC will continue to pursue all possible legal remedies to ensure that those involved in the misuse of public funds are held accountable,” he added. — Katherine K. Chan