The Court of Appeals has ordered a freeze on dozens of bank accounts and properties belonging to a prominent legislator, a business associate, and a linked corporation amid an expanding investigation into anomalies in government flood-control projects.

The freeze order, issued April 23, covers 25 bank accounts and 10 insurance policies held by the unnamed incumbent lawmaker, according to a statement from the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) on Friday, April 24.

The action also targets 27 bank accounts, 10 insurance policies, and an investment account held by an associate, alongside assets belonging to a corporate entity that include two bank accounts and a real estate property.

The Court of Appeals found probable cause to link the assets to violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and the Revised Penal Code.

“The filing of this petition for freeze order underscores the AMLC’s continuous commitment to uphold public accountability and protecting the integrity of the Philippine financial system,” AMLC Executive Director Ronel U. Buenaventura said in the statement.

The investigation centers on multibillion-peso allocations for flood mitigation that have come under intense scrutiny following reports of “ghost projects” and substandard construction.

In 2025, the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee launched an inquiry into the Department of Public Works and Highways, where lawmakers alleged that a small group of contractors had monopolized projects worth approximately ₱100 billion.

Evidence presented in earlier hearings suggested that kickbacks and commissions as high as 25 percent were being siphoned from the funds, leaving only a fraction of the budget for actual construction.

The 2026 national budget has allocated ₱249 billion for unprogrammed funds, a figure that critics argue remains vulnerable to the same patterns of corruption.

A freeze order is a provisional remedy intended to prevent the movement or disposal of assets suspected to be the proceeds of unlawful activity before the government files for civil forfeiture. The AMLC noted that it has already filed 12 petitions for civil forfeiture before various Regional Trial Courts related to the flood-control scandal.

Under Philippine law, the freeze order prohibits any transfer or disposal of the specified assets while the underlying cases are litigated. The AMLC’s action follows a leadership transition at the agency, with Buenaventura having assumed the role of executive director earlier this month.