Philippine VP Sara Duterte hit with arrest warrant over alleged death threat against Marcos

A Philippine court has issued an arrest warrant for Vice President Sara Duterte over alleged "grave threats" made against President Ferdinand Marcos, his wife, and a former congressman.

The charges, which emerge from Duterte's claim of hiring a hitman to retaliate if harmed, are tied to her impeachment trial in the Senate where a guilty verdict could end her political career.

Duterte intends to utilize all legal remedies, including applying for bail and potentially challenging the warrant in higher courts, as her Senate impeachment trial continues.

Justice department officials have dismissed claims that she cannot be prosecuted for the same offenses presented in her impeachment proceedings.

MANILA, Sept 4 — A Philippine court today issued an arrest warrant for Vice President Sara Duterte over an alleged death threat against the country’s president, with her defence team saying she would “exercise all her legal remedies”.

Duterte was charged last month with “grave threats” stemming from a late-night news briefing in which she claimed to have hired a hitman to kill President Ferdinand Marcos, his wife and a former congressman cousin should she be cut down first.

The alleged assassination threat also forms a crucial element of her ongoing Senate impeachment trial, where a guilty verdict would see her removed from office and permanently banned from politics.

Under the Philippine legal code, a criminal conviction on the charge would carry a jail term of up to six months.

Justice department spokesman Polo Martinez confirmed the warrant had been issued, noting that a court in Metro Manila’s Quezon City had quashed a motion to defer it.

But the warrant seemed unlikely to result in Duterte being taken into custody.

Paolo Tamase, associate dean at the University of the Philippines College of Law, told AFP that Duterte’s lawyers could now be expected to file for bail, perhaps before day’s end.

“The easiest thing for VP Sara to do is to file for bail with the regional trial court,” Tamase said in a phone interview, noting Duterte would likely not need to be present.

He added that the warrant could yet be challenged at a higher court.

“She can potentially question the issuance of the warrant of arrest, which means she would go up to the Court of Appeals or potentially the Supreme Court,” he said.

The vice president’s legal team issued a statement saying she had “no intention of evading the law and will continue to exercise all her legal remedies”.

Calls to her defence lawyers seeking comment were not returned.

Justice department officials have rejected arguments by the vice president’s legal team that she cannot be prosecuted for offences that are also tied to her impeachment.

Duterte was impeached in May by the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of parliament, on charges that also included graft and corruption.

A guilty verdict in the Senate — where her trial recently concluded its ninth week — would spell an end to a planned run for president in 2028.

Duterte first announced her candidacy in February. — AFP

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菲律宾一家法院已对副总统萨拉·杜特尔特发出逮捕令，指控她对总统费迪南德·马科斯、他的妻子和一名前国会议员发出“严重威胁”。

这些指控源于杜特尔特声称雇佣杀手以防自己受到伤害进行报复，而这些指控与她在参议院的弹劾审判有关，如果罪名成立，她的政治生涯可能会就此结束。

杜特尔特打算利用一切法律手段，包括申请保释，并可能在上级法院对逮捕令提出质疑，因为她的参议院弹劾审判仍在继续。

司法部官员驳斥了关于她不能因弹劾程序中提出的相同罪行而被起诉的说法。

马尼拉，9月4日——菲律宾一家法院今天对副总统萨拉·杜特尔特发出逮捕令，指控她对该国总统发出死亡威胁。她的辩护团队表示，她将“采取一切法律手段”。

杜特尔特上个月被指控犯有“严重威胁罪”，起因是她在深夜新闻发布会上声称，如果她先被干掉，她将雇佣一名杀手去杀掉总统费迪南德·马科斯、他的妻子和一位前国会议员表亲。

据称的暗杀威胁也是她目前正在接受参议院弹劾审判的关键因素，如果罪名成立，她将被免职并永久禁止参政。

根据菲律宾法律，如果该指控成立，最高可判处六个月监禁。

司法部发言人波洛·马丁内斯证实逮捕令已经发出，并指出马尼拉大都会奎松市的一家法院驳回了推迟执行逮捕令的动议。

但这份逮捕令似乎不太可能导致杜特尔特被拘留。

菲律宾大学法学院副院长保罗·塔马塞告诉法新社，杜特尔特的律师现在可能会申请保释，也许就在今天结束之前。

“萨拉副总统最简单的做法就是向地区审判法院申请保释，”塔马塞在电话采访中说，并指出杜特尔特可能不需要出庭。

他还补充说，该逮捕令仍有可能在上级法院受到质疑。

他说：“她有可能对逮捕令的签发提出质疑，这意味着她可能会上诉到上诉法院，甚至最高法院。”

副总统的法律团队发表声明称，她“无意逃避法律，并将继续行使一切法律手段”。

记者致电其辩护律师寻求置评，但未获回复。

司法部官员驳斥了副总统法律团队的论点，即她不能因与弹劾案相关的罪行而被起诉。

杜特尔特于 5 月被众议院（议会下院）弹劾，罪名包括贪污腐败。

如果参议院判她有罪——她的审判最近结束了第九周——这将意味着她原计划在 2028 年竞选总统的计划就此结束。

杜特尔特于今年2月首次宣布她参选。——法新社

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