"Robbery Crime Punishable by Life Imprisonment"… Former President Duterte Reported for Embezzling 150 Billion Won from National Treasury

'Jeongjeok' Former Senator "Awarded Over 100 Government Contracts to Close Associates"

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has been accused of awarding government construction contracts to companies owned by his close associates' families.

Former Senator Antonio Trillanes reported to the AP News on the 6th that he filed a criminal complaint against former President Duterte and Senator Christopher Go, a former aide to Duterte, alleging plundering of public funds. He claimed that two construction companies owned by Senator Go's family secured over 100 government infrastructure contracts in Davao City from 2007 to 2018.

Trillanes asserted that the total amount of these 'preferential' contracts was at least 6.6 billion pesos (approximately 155.9 billion KRW). He criticized that both companies lacked the capacity to handle large-scale infrastructure projects but colluded with Duterte to gain unfair profits.

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte
[Image source=EPA·Yonhap News]

Davao City is the stronghold of the Duterte family, and before being elected president in 2016, Duterte served as mayor and vice mayor of Davao City. Trillanes, a long-time political rival of Duterte, also urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate Duterte's alleged executions of drug suspects.

On the other hand, Senator Go is one of Duterte's closest allies.

In the Philippines, if a public official acquires ill-gotten wealth exceeding 50 million pesos (approximately 1.18 billion KRW) through corruption involving family or associates, they can be charged with plunder and face up to life imprisonment.

Duterte, who stepped down from the presidency in 2022, is reportedly planning to run for the Senate next year along with his two sons, according to his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte.

In the 2022 presidential election, President Ferdinand Marcos and Vice President Duterte were elected as running mates, forming a strong political alliance between the two families, but recent tensions have emerged.