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🇩🇪 Germany /Elections & Politics

Philippines lifts arrest warrant for Vice President Sara Duterte after bail payment

From Die Zeit · () German

Translated from German and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources In the courts
  • Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte posted bail after a court issued an arrest warrant linked to an alleged plot to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
  • Duterte appeared voluntarily and paid 360,000 pesos, or nearly 5,000 euros, while denying that her 2024 remarks constituted a threat.
  • An impeachment case over the remarks and alleged financial irregularities could affect her public office and plans to seek the presidency in 2028.

Sara Duterte left a court in Manila after posting 360,000 pesos, nearly 5,000 euros, in bail. The payment means the Philippine vice president will not be taken into custody for now, after a warrant was issued over an alleged plot to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Duterte appeared voluntarily before the court that issued the warrant, her lawyer Lawrence Lim said. “The vice president appeared voluntarily before the court that issued the arrest warrant, so there was no reason to arrest her,” he said.

The vice president appeared voluntarily before the court that issued the arrest warrant, so there was no reason to arrest her

· Lawrence LimDuterte’s lawyer explained why she appeared in court and was not taken into custody.

Duterte has denied making a murder threat. The case centres on remarks at a 2024 press conference, where she said she had instructed an assassin to kill Marcos, his wife and then-House Speaker Martin Romualdez if she herself were killed. She later said she did not intend her words as a threat, but as an expression of concern for her own safety.

Leaving the courthouse, Duterte said, “I do not feel safe with all these police officers. They have been harassing the people at my home and bothering me since 2023.” She also asked, “What does this government actually want to do to me?”

I do not feel safe with all these police officers. They have been harassing the people at my home and bothering me since 2023

· Sara DuterteDuterte spoke to reporters after posting bail.

The House of Representatives began impeachment proceedings against Duterte in May over the remarks and alleged financial irregularities. The Senate proceedings began in July. A conviction could bar her from public office and end her plans to run for president in 2028.

Marcos and Duterte represent rival political dynasties but ran together in the 2022 election. Marcos is the son of the dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., who was ousted in 1986. Sara Duterte is the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, who was arrested last year on an order from the International Criminal Court.

What does this government actually want to do to me?

· Sara DuterteDuterte questioned the government’s actions as she left the courthouse.
About this summary

Originally published by Die Zeit in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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