JUSTICE Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Thursday said the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) is now coordinating with the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to look into reports that Australian bank Westpac has served as a conduit for its customers allegedly involved in child pornography in Southeast Asia, including the Philippines.
“IACAT is coordinating with AMLC on this matter,” Guevarra said in a text message to reporters.
Guevarra said once there is sufficient evidence of money being laundered in the Philippines to facilitate crimes against children, the National Bureau of Investigation would be tapped to conduct further investigation.
In fact, the DOJ chief said, the AMLC has been directly coordinating with its counterpart the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (Austrac) following an entrapment operation last month that led to the discovery by authorities that an Australian national allegedly involved in online sexual exploitation of Filipino children.
“In the ensuing coordination between the Philippine and Australian police, it was discovered that Westpac [an Australian bank] was also informed,” Guevarra said while noting that it was actually Austrac which uncovered Westpac’s alleged involvement.
It can be recalled that authorities conducted an entrapment operation in Rizal, last month against a 45-year-old woman who had allegedly been livestreaming her 12-year-old daughter in various sexual positions for online viewers abroad in exchange for cash she received through money transfer.
Further investigation showed that an Australian national was among those who patronized the illegal act.
The controversy involving the bank led to Westpac’s CEO and Managing Director Brian Hartzer’s resignation due to allegations of failing to report international fund transfers, including payments to child pornographers in Southeast Asia.