On Tuesday, August 11, the Department of Justice (DOJ) formally lodged a criminal complaint for grave threats against Vice President Sara Duterte, centered on remarks she previously made regarding hiring a assassin to target President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and other top officials.
DOJ spokesperson Polo Martinez stated that the complaint was submitted to the Office of the Clerk of Court at the Quezon City Regional Trial Court at 1:30 p.m.
While full details of the document have yet to be disclosed, Martinez verified that the charge stems directly from an earlier probe by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
The legal action traces back to an online press conference in November last year, amid escalating political friction between the Marcos and Duterte factions, during which the Vice President claimed she had engaged an assassin to eliminate Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez if she were to be killed.
Following an investigation, the NBI forwarded its findings to the DOJ for evaluation.
“Yes, we confirm that the Grave Threats case filed today is the same matter referred by the NBI to the DOJ,” Martinez said.
“It is also the same matter raised in the impeachment proceedings,” he added.
Duterte’s alleged remarks against the First Couple and Romualdez form the initial allegation tackled in the Vice President’s ongoing impeachment proceedings.