[Breaking news update, posted at 7:32 p.m. ET]
Senator Leila de Lima, one of the fiercest critics of Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, was arrested Friday morning.
She is accused of having abetted the illegal drug trade in the New Bilibid Prison when she was justice secretary from 2010 to 2015.
[Previous story, posted at 12:36 a.m. ET]
One of the fiercest critics of Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte and his bloody crackdown on illegal drugs was ordered arrested Thursday on drug-related charges in what supporters say is a politically motivated vendetta.
Sen. Leila de Lima is accused of having abetted the illegal drug trade in the New Bilibid Prison when she was justice secretary from 2010 to 2015.
A judge in the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court on Thursday afternoon found “sufficient probable cause for the issuance of the Warrants of Arrest” against de Lima and two others.
A team from the Philippine National Police headed to the embattled lawmaker’s residence south of Manila and then to the Senate, where de Lima sought refuge upon learning the warrant would be served Thursday evening.
At the Senate, the sergeant-at-arms agreed to serve the warrant Friday morning, in line with an earlier televised request of the senator.
“The haste is deplorable,” her fellow party members in the Senate said in a statement.
A graphic reading “One for Leila” circulated on social media. A close ally, Sen. Kiko Pangilinan, asked social media users to “please share (it) as a sign of our outrage against political persecution.”
A few hours after the arrest warrant was issued, de Lima told reporters at a press conference that she would not run away from the cases against her.
De Lima has consistently insisted she is not involved in the illegal drug trade.
Allegations of payoffs
Duterte first raised the allegations against de Lima in a speech in August.
She’s accused of receiving payoffs from convicted drug lords who were able to continue their illegal operations from behind bars while she was justice secretary. The prison facility is managed by the Bureau of Corrections, an arm of the Department of Justice.
Duterte won the presidency on a platform of cracking down on crime, particularly illegal drugs. Since taking office in June, his police force has waged a bloody war on drug dealers and users, resulting in the deaths of thousands of suspects at the hands of police and vigilantes.
De Lima became the subject of probes launched by Duterte’s political allies after the senator initiated a Senate inquiry into alleged state-sanctioned killings in the course of Duterte’s bloody war on drugs.
A Senate committee, led by an ally of Duterte’s, decided in October to drop its inquiry into the extrajudicial killings of drug dealers and users during the leader’s first few months in office.
In December, Duterte admitted to killing drug suspects during his time as mayor of Davao City.
Duterte: De Lima must ‘face the music’
Felons from the prison facility have directly linked de Lima to the penitentiary drug trade. But de Lima said the government pressured those convicts to testify and have an “ax” to grind against her.
As justice secretary, de Lima conducted a raid at the New Bilibid Prison maximum security area that shocked the nation, revealing a luxurious lifestyle of high-profile inmates who are now among the witnesses against her.
De Lima has said she will take legal action to protect herself from what she says is political persecution.
Last week, Duterte said he was confident the Justice Department’s case against de Lima was airtight. He said the senator “will have to face the music” and the charges.