Duterte Critic Indicted for Drug Trafficking, Claims Persecution
- Senator de Lima accused of conspiracy to distribute narcotics
- Lawmaker calls charges retaliation for opposing drug war
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Philippine government prosecutors charged one of President Rodrigo Duterte’s staunchest critics with drug trafficking, accusing Senator Leila de Lima of allowing the illicit narcotics trade to flourish inside the national jail during her time as justice secretary.
Prosecutors filed three separate criminal complaints Friday accusing de Lima of conspiring to distribute illegal drugs dating back to when she had oversight of the prison system from 2010 until 2015, and she could face life imprisonment and a fine if convicted. De Lima called the indictments politically motivated and said they were meant to clamp down on her opposition to Duterte’s deadly drug war.