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Ex-Comelec chief snubs Senate, gets subpoenaed

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TO compel his attendance during the next hearing on Feb. 12, the Senate Committee on Banks, Financial Institutions and Currencies chaired by Senator Francis Escudero issued Tuesday a subpoena to former Commission on Elections chairman Andres Bautista.

Bautista was a no-show at the resumption on Tuesday of the committee hearing in connection with possible violation of the anti-money laundering law.

Under the subpoena, Bautista is commanded and directed to appear on the next hearing.

The subpoena noted that failure to attend the hearing would compel the Senate to hold him in contempt and move for his arrest under Section 18 of the Rules Governing Inquiries in Aid of Legislation, according to Escudero.

At the same time, Escudero has asked the Bureau of Immigration to provide the committee with all the travel information of the former poll chief from August 1, 2017 to date.

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The committee has sent invitations to all of Bautista’s three known addresses since the inquiry began in August. Tuesday’s hearing would have been the third and was also the third time that Bautista had failed to appear.

The Senate committee has been holding hearings since August last year in connection with Senate Resolution No. 468 or the possible violation of the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA) by some covered institutions.

“The committee has consistently sent him invitations to all of the hearings we conducted but until today, he has not given any reasons for his absence. Not even a representative to act on his behalf,” the committee chairman said.

“We held him in his own words on the media in the past that he will appear and defend himself once invited but apparently he has been a consistent no-show,” he added.

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