Philippines Widens Freeze on Bank Accounts in Graft Clampdown

The Philippines’ anti-money laundering watchdog said it has secured a new court order to freeze 592 more bank accounts allegedly linked to graft-ridden flood control projects.

“The sheer magnitude of assets involved reflects the alarming scope of corruption tied to these flood-control projects,” Matthew David, executive director of the Anti-Money Laundering Council, said in a statement late Friday. The freeze order is a step toward filing civil and criminal cases against those suspected to have “laundered illicit proceeds,” he said.