Updated @ 6:22 p.m., July 5, 2024
MANILA, Philippines — Former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV filed a complaint for plunder against former President Rodrigo Duterte and Senator Christopher “Bong” Go before the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday.
Under Philippine law, plunder is committed when a government official acquires ill-gotten wealth of P50 million or more from government funds through corrupt acts in combination with family or associates. It’s punishable by life in prison. The government can also seize illegally acquired wealth or properties after a conviction.
Trillanes said Go, “in conspiracy with Mr. Duterte, used his position, authority and influence to corner billions worth of government projects in favor of his father and brother, thus, unduly enriching himself and the members of his immediate family.”
He added that Duterte and Go “facilitated corrupt practices, specifically the awarding of more than a hundred government contracts to companies owned by Go’s father and brother worth at least P6.6 billion.”
“Now is the perfect time to make them accountable,” he added.
Without elaborating, that the former president would face more lawsuits in the future.
‘All the elements of plunder’
The present complaint was based on a September 6, 2018, report of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), which stated that CLTG Builders was given 125 government contracts worth P4.6 billion from 2007, when Duterte was still Davao mayor, to 2017, when he became president.
On the other hand, Alfrego Builders, owned by Go’s brother Alfredo Go, bagged a total of P1.74 billion worth of contracts from June 2007 to July 2018.
Former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV files plunder case against former President Rodrigo Duterte and Senator Bong Go. Contributed Photo
“All the elements of plunder are clearly present in this case. Mr. Bong Go, in conspiracy with Mr. Duterte, used his position, authority and influence to corner billions worth of government projects in favor of his father and brother, thus unduly enriching himself and the members of his immediate family. The evidence presented in the complaint is compelling and warrants a plunder charge,” Trillanes said.
In addition to plunder, both Duterte and Go were also accused of violating Republic Act No. 3019 (The Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act) and Republic Act No. 6713 (The Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees).
Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV shows to the media a copy of his affidavit of complaint filed against former president Rodrigo Duterte and Senator Bong Go for plunder cases on Friday, July 5, 2024, at the Department of Justice in Manila City. Noy Morcoso/ INQUIRER.net
Meanwhile, Senator Go said the complaint filing would “finally put an end to these often-recycled issues against us.”
“It’s better to look into these accusations. Is there really any irregularity? Was there a transaction that was disadvantageous to the government? Was anything stolen? And are there any linkages to me that indicate I benefited from any of these transactions? COA [Commission on Audit] can find out. And if there is, it is for COA to file the necessary charges,” Go said in Filipino in a statement.
Addition to Duterte’s legal worries
Trillanes’ accusation adds to the former president’s legal worries, which include an investigation by the International Criminal Court into allegations of crimes against humanity over the widespread killings of suspects during Duterte’s drug war.
Duterte and Go did not immediately comment, but they had previously denied any wrongdoing in office.
Trillanes, an anti-corruption advocate who served as senator from 2007 to 2019, was one of Duterte’s most vocal critics.
Trillanes also initiated a complaint against Duterte over the widespread killings under the former president’s deadly campaign against illegal drugs that sparked a still-ongoing investigation by the International Criminal Court.
Government prosecutors will conduct their own investigation before deciding whether to indict Duterte and the other accused in a process that could take months or years.
Unorthodox leader
Duterte, 79, was a longtime mayor and vice mayor of Davao before rising to the presidency in 2016 on a promise to rapidly rid his poverty-plagued Southeast Asian country of corruption and illegal drugs — both of which he’s acknowledged failing to accomplish.
One of Asia’s most unorthodox recent leaders, Duterte’s six-year presidency was marked by expletives-laced outbursts and high-profile efforts to nurture cozy ties with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin while openly lambasting US and European leaders.
Duterte, a former government prosecutor and legislator, launched police-enforced crackdowns against illegal drugs when he served as mayor and vice mayor to his daughter, Sara Duterte, in Davao City, and later as president.
Those campaigns killed more than 6,000 mostly minor suspects. The campaign was unprecedented in its scale and lethality in recent Philippine history and drew alarm worldwide.
Duterte and his top police officials denied authorizing extra-judicial killings under the campaigns, but he openly threatened drug traffickers with death and encouraged policemen to shoot drug suspects if they violently resisted arrest.