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Philippines to arrest ex-justice minister over drugs

Thursday, 23 February 2017 2:09 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 23 February 2017 2:55 PM ]

In this photo taken on February 16, 2017, Philippine Senator Leila de Lima is arriving at the Senate session hall in Manila. (Photo by AFP)

A court in the Philippines has ordered the arrest of a former justice minister strongly opposed to President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drugs campaign.

The regional court in the Manila suburban city of Muntinlupa on Thursday ordered the arrest of Leila De Lima who is presently a senator.

She has been charged for three counts of involvement in illegal drug trade but she has rejected the charges, saying the cases against her are politically motivated.

"We are really disappointed by the issuance of the warrant," her lawyer, Alex Padilla, said. "The court made the decision based on nothing," he added.

Several senators have criticized the move, claiming De Lima was being punished for going against Duterte.

"It is an underhanded maneuver meant to go after critics,” the senators said in a joint statement.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre denied such claims, saying the cases against De Lima were not politically motivated but based on evidence of her connections to illegal drugs.

The charges against De Lima were based on testimonies by prisoners who claimed they paid bribes to De Lima while she was still justice minister to allow them to continue trading drugs in prison.

Duterte came under global spotlight for allegedly giving permission to law enforcement agencies to fight drug dealers in any way they choose.

This picture taken on February 16, 2017 shows the dead body of a suspected drug dealer on the ground inside a house after unidentified armed men gunned him down at an informal settlers community in Manila. (Photo by AFP)

According to police figures, about 2,000 drug suspects have been killed in security operations. Media say nearly 4,000 others have also died in unexplained circumstances linked to the crackdown.

During his presidential election campaign in mid-2016, Duterte ran mainly on a platform of fighting drugs and crime. Many Filipinos support the campaign but Western-based rights groups use it to criticize Duterte whose anti-US rhetoric has riled Washington.

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