Mans Carpio agrees with his wife Vice President Sara and says drug allegations are political attacks

Lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio on Monday denied any involvement in the illegal drug trade, reiterating his wife and Vice President Sara Duterte’s claim that the allegations against him were politically motivated.

Carpio was referring to allegations made by former Customs Intelligence officer and current inmate Jimmy Guban during a House investigation last week.

Guban accused Carpio, his brother-in-law and Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte, and businessman Michael Yang of being responsible for an illegal drug shipment worth P11 billion smuggled into the country in 2018.

“The allegations and insinuations made by Mr. Guban during the Quad Com hearing last Friday, August 16, 2024, are totally baseless and maliciously false. The public and esteemed members of the House of Representatives are, I trust, astute enough to realize that the allegations made by Mr. Guban incriminating Congressman Pulong [Duterte] and I myself are clearly politically motivated,” said Carpio.

Carpio also said that although he married into a family of politicians, he never interferes in politics or government policy.

“It has always been my personal policy and guiding principle to stay completely away from politics and all government affairs. As a private citizen and practicing lawyer, my only concern is the welfare of my family and the conscientious protection of the rights and interests of my clients,” Carpio said.

However, Carpio expressed his belief that MPs would not find Guban's testimony helpful.

“I am fully convinced that the members of the Quad Com have the necessary judgment to distinguish between fact and fiction in Mr. Guban's narrative. Mr. Guban himself has unequivocally admitted before the Quad Com that he fabricated the statements in the affidavits he submitted during the Senate investigation and trial,” Carpio said.

Guban, who has since been charged in connection with the drug shipment, initially accused his then police colleague, Chief Inspector Eduardo Acierto, of smuggling the shabu shipment worth eleven billion pesos.

However, Guban later backtracked and said he and Acierto had worked together to prevent the importation of the shipment in question. —KG, GMA Integrated News