Solon faces raps for not declaring fat bank account

By BEN SERRANO
Correspondent

CABADBARAN City, Agusan del Norte–A former councilor has filed a complaint against Agusan del Norte 2nd District Rep. Erlpe John Amante for alleged failure to declare his wealth in his statements of assets and net worth (SALNs), plunder, perjury and grave abuse of authority.

In a nine-page complaint filed before the Office of the Ombudsman in March, former councilor Val Villanueva asked for the immediate suspension of the congressman for allegedly failing to declare nearly P131 million in bank deposits in his SALNs.

Villanueva’s lawyer Homer Mabale said the congressman is also facing plunder charges.

Villanueva alleged that Amante committed perjury because in the congressman’s 2011 and 2014 SALNs, he only declared a net worth of only P5.5 million and P5.1 million, respectively.

In the two SALNs, Amante stated that he did not have any business except his wife’s Judy Amusement Park which was acquired in 2009.

But according to Villanueva, Amante received an aggregate amount of nearly P131 million from 2010 to 2014 through Metro Bank account no. 7713001429 in Butuan.

He alleged that the amount was withdrawn using issuing 25 checks during the same period.

Villanueva alleged in his complaint that almost every month or every other month, Amante received millions of pesos through his Metro Bank account, and then disbursements were made.

The former councilor also called on the Anti-Money Laundering Council to start an investigation into Amante’s bank transactions, and to check if the money came from legitimate sources.

Mabale said the funds were discovered because of return checks the congressman signed were sent to his Aglapay St. residence in Cabadbaran City.

He said it was actually joint bank account of Amante and his wife but only the congressman signed and was involved in the transactions.