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
MANILA (Bloomberg): 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 Friday, alleged that Duterte and 15 other officials, misused 612.5 million pesos (US$10.4 million) in public funds through "coordinated schemes” implemented across both the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education, which she used to concurrently head until mid-2024, according to a media briefer provided by the complainants.
The group claimed Duterte and the other officials committed criminal violations, including of the anti-graft law as well as plunder, bribery and malversation.
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 the accusations in the impeachment complaint filed against Duterte, which was shelved by the Senate in August after the Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional.
The Ombudsman, Jesus Crispin Remulla, can endorse the graft complaint against Duterte before the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court. A conviction won’t bar her from running for president in the 2028 elections - where she’s a frontrunner 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 Southeast Asian nation. Duterte has said she’s confident she won’t 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 - now headed by a Marcos ally - could become the next battleground for Duterte and her political opponents.
Marcos and Duterte partnered to win the 2022 elections, but their alliance collapsed due to political differences. Marcos is mandated under Philippine laws to step down in 2028 after a single, six-year term.
Remulla, in October, replaced an appointee of ex-President Rodrigo Duterte, the vice president’s father, who is detained in the International Criminal Court in The Hague for charges related to the war on drugs during his term.
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