Philippine presidential front runner Rodrigo Duterte challenged to release bank statements over ‘undeclared’ funds

Rodrigo Duterte, the crime-fighting mayor who is favoured to win the Philippines’ May 9 presidential election, failed to declare tens of millions of dollars in assets, according to records released by a senator supporting rival candidate Grace Poe.

Senator Antonio Trillanes, who is himself a candidate for vice-president, said the documents show Duterte had transactions totalling 2.41 billion pesos across 17 accounts over the past nine years, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported. Duterte declared a net worth of 22 million pesos in 2014. Duterte spokesman Peter Lavina said the allegations were “rubbish”.

Duterte has built a lead in opinion polls by saying he is the best candidate to fight widespread corruption and has pledged to bring crime under control within six months, even if it takes killing criminals to do so. He has built his reputation as an incorruptible crime fighter in more than 20 years as mayor of Davao, a southern city once known as the nation’s murder capital and now considered one of the country’s safer urban areas.

“Duterte has been a Teflon candidate for the longest time, having withstood attacks on his character,” independent political analyst Earl Parreno said. ”But this is different because it directly pertains to one of his major advocacies, which is anti-corruption. Trillanes’s allegations will create doubts in the minds of the electorate unless Duterte explains it well.”

Trillanes, a former Navy captain who was first elected to the Senate in 2007 while in jail for leading an attempted coup against then President Gloria Arroyo in 2003, said he would pursue impeachment proceedings against Duterte if he becomes president. He called on Duterte to authorise the public release of his bank statements. Under Philippines’ law, all bank deposits are confidential and can’t be opened without the consent of the account holder.

“I challenge Mayor Duterte to sign this waiver. If he won’t, let our countrymen be the judge,” Trillanes, who was also among a group of lawmakers who investigated current vice president and presidential aspirant Jejomar Binay over corruption allegations last year, said on Thursday. “I will use this as a basis for an impeachment complaint.”