THE Court of Appeals froze bank accounts and other assets belonging to a lawmaker and a businessman over alleged corruption involving government contracts, the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) said on Thursday.
The AMLC did not identify the people or disclose the value of the assets covered by the order.
The freeze petition followed an Office of the Ombudsman complaint accusing the two of plunder, graft and corruption. The businessman, then in office, allegedly awarded exclusive government contracts to companies linked to the lawmaker.
The AMLC said investigators found suspicious fund transfers and unusual banking activity involving the businessman around the time the contracts were awarded.
The appellate court issued the order after finding probable cause that the lawmaker may have benefited financially from the alleged acts.
The AMLC also filed a civil forfeiture case involving assets and a holding company linked to another lawmaker accused of receiving kickbacks from flood control and other infrastructure projects. — Katherine K. Chan