Philippines' police chief says he will investigate if Korean murder being used to "weaken" Duterte's anti-drug campaign

Record ID: 165456

  • Title: Philippines' police chief says he will investigate if Korean murder being used to "weaken" Duterte's anti-drug campaign
  • Date: 23rd January 2017
  • Summary: MANILA, PHILIPPINES (JANUARY 23, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF PHILIPPINE NATIONAL POLICE NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS
  • Embargoed: 6th February 2017 10:44
  • Keywords: Ronald dela Rosa Korean businessman murder Rodrigo Duterte resignation
  • Location: MANILA, PHILIPPINES
  • City: MANILA, PHILIPPINES
  • Country: Philippines
  • Topics: Crime/Law/Justice
  • Reuters ID: LVA00160AWUH1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: PART AUDIO AND VIDEO QUALITY AS INCOMING
    Philippine National Police Chief Ronald Dela Rosa said on Monday (January 23) he will investigate whether the death of a South Korean businessman allegedly at the hands of police officers last year was meant to weaken support for President Rodrigo Duterte's anti-drug campaign and himself.
    Several officers were recently charged by the justice department with the kidnapping and killing of businessman Jee Ick-Joo, who was abducted in an anti-drug operation in Pampanga province and later killed inside the national police headquarters in Manila in October 2016.
    "As we further conduct our investigation on the death that is one of the angles that we are looking at, if there is a grand conspiracy to weaken the President and to weaken the Philippine National Police Chief. That's what it seems that the suspect wants to happen," Dela Rosa said.
    A number of lawmakers, including Duterte's ally, House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, have called on Dela Rosa to step down amid the controversy over Jee's death, but the president's top aide, Christopher Go, told Reuters on Sunday (January 22) that the police chief has Duterte's full support.
    Dela Rosa has declined to reveal more details about Jee's death, but local news reports said the suspected police officers demanded a five million peso ($100,000) ransom from the businessman's family after already killing him.
    Rights groups say abuses of police power in the Philippines have become rampant as Duterte's bloody narcotics crackdown has gone unabated during the first six months of the former crime-busting mayor's presidential term.
    Police figures show more than 7,000 people have been killed during Duterte's campaign.
    Police deny deliberately carrying out extrajudicial killings and say deaths caused in the course of the anti-drugs campaign have been in self-defence.
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