Lawyers file sedition charges vs Trillanes for ‘provoking military to shoot Duterte’

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV INQUIRER.net file photo

For provoking the military to use an M-60 machine gun against President Rodrigo Duterte, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV was charged on Thursday with inciting rebellious acts before the Pasay City Prosecutor’s Office.

Trillanes, in a Senate privilege speech last October 3, said the “military should shoot Duterte with an M-60 machine gun for his alleged hidden wealth.”

READ: Lawyers to sue Trillanes over ‘kill Duterte’ remark

Trillanes has accused the President and his family of having bank transactions from 2006 to 2015 totaling up to P2 billion when Duterte “had no businesses” to justify such huge sources of income.

The opposition senator also dared Duterte to prove he is not corrupt and sign a waiver, for soldiers to “finally know whether or not you have amassed ill-gotten wealth, and for you to clear your name to those who still believe in you.”

“If the soldiers could see this, they will use an M-60 machine gun on you. These are many. The magazines will be emptied if you’re looking for P40 million,” Trillanes said in Filipino.

Lawyers affiliated with the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) said Trillanes should be prosecuted for inciting to sedition (Article 142, Revised Penal Code or RPC), proposing to commit coup d’etat (Article 136, RPC), and graft (Section 3(e), Republic Act 3019).

In their complaint, the pro-Duterte lawyers asked the Pasay City prosecutors to launch a preliminary investigation, conduct proper proceedings and find probable cause to indict Trillanes and other unidentified personalities for such offenses.

“Trillanes not only repeatedly uttered seditious words or speeches and unabatedly circulated scurrilous libels against the President, which tend to disturb the public peace, but also repeatedly incited others to inflict any hate or revenge,” the complaint stated.

The lawyers led by Atty. Manuel Luna insisted that Trillanes “committed conspiracy or proposal to commit coup d’ etat” for encouraging the military to rise up in arms against the President.

Moreover, the complainants accused Trillanes of causing undue injury against the Duterte administration “through evident bad faith or gross inexcusable negligence.”

“(This is) for irresponsibly and recklessly and continuously accusing sans evidence, that the President is keeping over P2 billion in bank accounts and or amassing illegally-acquired wealth,” they claimed.

Trillanes is insisting on the evidence, consisting of bank transaction records alleged to have been sourced from the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), despite the AMLC’s disclaimer that the documents did not come from them.

The AMLC, however denied the existence of such bank transaction documents purportedly given to Overall Deputy Ombudsman Arthur Carandang. /jpv