Anti-graft chief and outspoken Duterte critic retires

MANILA: The Philippines’ top anticorruption prosecutor, one of the few remaining critics of President Rodrigo Duterte in government, has retired, appealing for “strong institutions” over strong leaders.

Ombudsman Conchita CarpioMorales (pic), 77, finished her sevenyear term yesterday, during which she earned Duterte’s ire for criticising his brutal drug war and for her office’s investigation into his alleged secret bank accounts.

Duterte, who accused Morales of “selective justice” and conspiring with opposition figures to oust him, last year threatened to have the retired Supreme Court justice impeached while launching tirades against her.

But a defiant Morales dismissed Duterte’s allegations as “fake news”.

“I know I’m right in my work, so why should I be scared? As long as we have strong institutions, we don’t need strong people to run the government,” she added, stressing the importance of independent bodies like her office.

Duterte, 73, has launched an unprecedented crackdown on drugs that has left thousands dead, sparking criticism from rights groups who say he may be orchestrating a crime against humanity.

The Filipino leader has lashed out at critics, including Senator Leila de Lima – jailed over drug charges she says were fabricated – and former Supreme Court chief justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, who was ousted in May.

Opposition leaders have said these moves – along with attempts to discredit the country’s main rights agency – are part of Duterte’s scorchedearth tactics to silence critics and weaken democratic institutions.

Morales, who was appointed by Duterte’s predecessor Benigno Aquino in 2011 to head the antigraft watchdog, angered the president when she criticised his pronouncements on killings last year.

Their spat intensified last January when Morales defied Duterte’s order to suspend her deputy for allegedly leaking his bank records, saying his directive violated the constitution.

At the time, her agency was probing claims that Duterte had failed to disclose 211 million pesos (RM1.59mil) in secret bank accounts when he was a presidential candidate.

The ombudsman said in February that it had terminated the probe after the central bank’s AntiMoney Laundering Council refused to cooperate.

Morales was honoured with the Ramon Magsaysay Award – often described as Asia’s Nobel Prize – in 2016 for her diligence in prosecuting highranking corrupt officials.

The leading candidate to replace her is a Supreme Court justice appointed by Duterte and who has voted to uphold his major policies. — AFP