Philippine Vice-President Duterte faces graft complaint
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Filipino activists depicting Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and Vice-President Sara Duterte at a protest on Human Rights Day in Manila on Dec 10.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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MANILA – A group of civilians including two former government officials filed a graft complaint against Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte, in a fresh political challenge for the estranged deputy of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The complaint, filed with the ombudsman’s office on Dec 12, alleged that Ms Duterte and 15 other officials misused 612.5 million pesos (S$13.4 million) in public funds through “coordinated schemes” implemented across both the Office of the Vice-President and the Department of Education, according to a media briefer provided by the complainants.
Ms Duterte headed the Department of Education from mid-2022 until mid-2024.
The group claimed Ms Duterte and the other officials committed criminal violations, including of the anti-graft law, as well as plunder, bribery and malversation.
Ms Duterte’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The complainants include former presidential adviser Teresita Quintos-Deles and former finance undersecretary Cielo Magno.
The allegations echo accusations in the impeachment complaint filed against Ms Duterte
The ombudsman, Marcos ally Jesus Crispin Remulla, can endorse the graft complaint against Ms Duterte before the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court.
A conviction will not bar her from running for president in the 2028 elections – where she is a front runner, according to polls – unless it becomes final.
The complaint against the Vice-President comes as a widening graft scandal involving billions of dollars in government funds meant for flood mitigation projects grips the South-east Asian nation.
Ms Duterte has said she is confident she will not be implicated in the scandal.
With an appeal by the House of Representatives to revive the impeachment complaint pending with the Supreme Court, the graft complaint filed with the Office of the Ombudsman could become the next battleground for Ms Duterte and her political opponents.
Mr Marcos and Ms Duterte partnered to win the 2022 elections, but their alliance collapsed owing to political differences.
Mr Marcos is mandated under Philippine laws to step down in 2028 after a single six-year term.
Mr Remulla in October replaced an appointee of former president Rodrigo Duterte, the Vice-President’s father, who is detained at the International Criminal Court in The Hague for charges related to the war on drugs during his term. BLOOMBERG
