Philippine Parliament Rejects Impeachment Case Against Duterte - Reports

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — In March, Gary Alejano, a member of the right-wing Magdalo Party, filed a complaint against Duterte on the grounds of allegations of betrayal of public trust, violation of the constitution in relation to the mass killings during anti-drug operations, the failure to protect country’s sovereign rights in the South China Sea dispute and the failure to declare a personal wealth of $40 million.

The complaint was turned down by all 42 members of the lower house’s justice committee due to its lack of substance, while the justice committee told Alejano that he may himself face prosecution for perjury, according to The Manila Times newspaper.

“His [Alejano’s] complaint is baseless and all hearsay. Everything is without proper authentication, and he admitted that he has no personal knowledge of what is in his complaint. How can we proceed with that?” justice committee head Rey Umali said, referring to the complaint, as quoted by the newspaper.

During the hearings, Alejano was questioned on whether he had witnessed the killings himself, to which the lawmaker replied that the complaint was based on the media reports and Duterte’s own statements.

Duterte, a former city mayor of Davao with a crime-fighting reputation, was sworn in as president in late June 2016 on promises to crack down on illegal drugs and put an end to drug-related crimes in the country. Shortly after taking office, Duterte launched a large-scale anti-drug campaign, with the police killing thousands of people during anti-drug operations over the months. The campaign has been widely criticized by international officials, including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Hussein.