Philippine court issues arrest warrant for VP Duterte<\/p>\n
MANILA: A Philippine court on Friday (Sep 4) issued an arrest warrant\nfor Vice President Sara Duterte over an alleged death threat against the\ncountry\u2019s president, with her defence team saying she would \u201cexercise\nall her legal remedies\u201d.<\/p>\n
Duterte was charged last month with \u201cgrave threats\u201d stemming from a\nlate-night news briefing in which she claimed to have hired a hitman to\nkill President Ferdinand Marcos, his wife and a former congressman\ncousin should she be cut down first.<\/p>\n
The alleged assassination threat also forms a crucial element of her\nongoing Senate impeachment trial, where a guilty verdict would see her\nremoved from office and permanently banned from politics.<\/p>\n
Under the Philippine legal code, a criminal conviction on the charge\nwould carry a jail term of up to six months.<\/p>\n
Justice department spokesman Polo Martinez confirmed the warrant had\nbeen issued, noting that a court in Metro Manila\u2019s Quezon City had\nquashed a motion to defer it.<\/p>\n
But the warrant seemed unlikely to result in Duterte being taken into\ncustody.<\/p>\n
Paolo Tamase, associate dean at the University of the Philippines\nCollege of Law, told AFP that Duterte\u2019s lawyers could now be expected to\nfile for bail, perhaps before day\u2019s end.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe easiest thing for VP Sara to do is to file for bail with the\nregional trial court,\u201d Tamase said in a phone interview, noting Duterte\nwould likely not need to be present.<\/p>\n
He added that the warrant could yet be challenged at a higher\ncourt.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe can potentially question the issuance of the warrant of arrest,\nwhich means she would go up to the Court of Appeals or potentially the\nSupreme Court,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The vice president\u2019s legal team issued a statement saying she had \u201cno\nintention of evading the law and will continue to exercise all her legal\nremedies\u201d.<\/p>\n
Calls to her defence lawyers seeking comment were not returned.<\/p>\n
Justice department officials have rejected arguments by the vice\npresident\u2019s legal team that she cannot be prosecuted for offences that\nare also tied to her impeachment.<\/p>\n
Duterte was impeached in May by the House of Representatives, the\nlower chamber of parliament, on charges that also included graft and\ncorruption.<\/p>\n
A guilty verdict in the Senate - where her trial recently concluded\nits ninth week - would spell an end to a planned run for president in\n2028.<\/p>\n
Duterte first announced her candidacy in February.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/philippine-court-issues-arrest-warrant-for-vp-duterte-1788515509", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }