AMLC forfeits money linked to alleged Abu Sayyaf financier
Alleged Abu Sayyaf member Abulpatta Abubakar was arrested in Quezon City in 2017. Handout/File MANILA — The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) said it has forfeited P217,165.06 from a bank account linked to alleged Abu Sayyaf member Abdulpatta Escalon Abubakar.
In a statement, AMLC said Abubakar is believed to have sent funds from Saudi Arabia to the Philippines through the wives and relatives of Abu Sayyaf members.
AMLC also said Abubakar has been identified by international authorities as the one who transferred $50,000 to Isnilon Hapilon, the former Abu Sayyaf leader who later became the recognized leader of the Islamic State in Southeast Asia.
“The funds were believed to have been used to acquire weapons and ammunition. He was likewise linked to efforts to procure materials for the manufacture of improvised explosive devices,” the AMLC said.
Hapilon was killed in the bloody Marawi clash in 2017.
The U.S. Treasury had imposed sanctions on Abubakar for providing financial and material support for Islamic State and its network in the Philippines.
The AMCL said this forfeiture stresses the importance of financial investigations in fighting terrorism.
“By depriving terrorist facilitators of access to funds and financial services, authorities can impede their ability to plan, support, and sustain terrorist activities,” the agency said.