A forensic financial analyst on Friday identified more than P1 million in credit-card transactions involving retail stores and a restaurant in Japan, Malaysia, and the Philippines during proceedings in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, as House prosecutors scrutinized the financial records of Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio.
Atty. Alexander Cabrera presented seven transactions totaling P1.01 million under Table 25 of his financial report during questioning by House Prosecutor Chel Diokno.
“Meron po rin kami nakuha ng information tungkol sa kanilang credit card purchases,” Cabrera testified.
The transactions included three purchases at Japanese discount retailer Mega Don Quijote totaling P239,887.83. One charge amounted to P111,109.24, while two purchases at the chain’s Shibuya branch were recorded at P62,900.95 and P65,877.64.
The Shibuya transactions were made on August 12 and posted on August 14, bringing the recorded purchases at the branch to P128,778.59.
Another entry involved Ginza Inakaya, a restaurant in Tokyo, where a charge of JPY489,000 was equivalent to approximately P205,007.29.
Asked about the transaction, Cabrera said it could have been payment for dinner at the establishment.
“Maaari pong dinner po sa Ginza, Inakaya, Tokyo, Japan,” he said.
In the Philippines, two charges at Nike SM Davao Annex totaled P299,142. The purchases, worth P93,750 and P205,392, were dated December 27 and posted the following day.
A separate Nike transaction at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia amounted to MYR18,746, equivalent to P256,882.50. The purchase was dated June 15 and posted June 16.
The transactions formed part of the prosecution’s broader examination of the couple’s financial records in the impeachment proceedings.
The amounts and locations identified during testimony, however, do not by themselves establish whether the purchases were improper or unlawful. Their significance depends on the broader financial evidence and the prosecution’s arguments in the case. (Marjohara Tucay)
