Lawyers for Vice President Sara Duterte have asked a Quezon City court to throw out the grave threats charges against her, arguing the court has no authority to hear the matter in the first place.
Paul Lawrence Lim, who represents Duterte in the grave threats cases stemming from the National Bureau of Investigation, disclosed the move in a statement Thursday. “We confirm having filed a motion to quash the Grave Threats Information filed against the Vice President, on the ground of lack of jurisdiction,” he said.
Lim would not elaborate on the reasoning behind the filing, pointing to restrictions on commenting while the case is active. “As lawyers bound by our Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability, however, we cannot give any further discussion on this matter that is now sub judice,” he said.
By anchoring the challenge on jurisdiction, the defense is forcing the court to settle whether it can even take up the case before any examination of the underlying accusations can begin.
On the government’s side, Prosecutor General Richard Fadullion said the National Prosecution Service had already issued its resolution and lodged the informations with the Quezon City courts. He acknowledged that defense motions to quash had reached the court, which set a five-day window for prosecutors to submit their response.
As of Thursday, Fadullion said his office had not yet been furnished a copy of the Duterte motion, though he expected it to arrive before the week closed. “We will be filing our comment forthwith,” he said.
Whatever happens next, Fadullion noted, hinges on how the Quezon City court rules on the defense’s bid to dismiss.
