Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte admits he has ‘death squad of gangsters’ | World news

The former president of the Philippines has admitted that he had a ‘death squad’ of gangsters during his mayoralty.

Rodrigo Duterte, 79, gave testimony in a Senate inquiry into drug-related killings during his presidency from 2016 to 2022.

He denied authorizing police to shoot thousands of suspects in a brutal crackdown on illegal drugs at the time, instead commenting on his time as mayor of the southern city of Davao.

He told the Senate on Monday: ‘I can make the confession now if you want. I had a death squad of seven, but they weren’t police officers, they were gangsters too.

“I will ask a gangster to kill someone. ‘If you don’t want to kill (that person), I will kill you now.'”

The investigation’s chairman, Senator Aquilino Pimentel III, pressed Duterte for more details, but he declined.

However, he said he never ordered the death squad to kill defenseless suspects.

It was his first public appearance since leaving office in 2022.

Mr. Duterte served as mayor of Davao between 2013 and 2016, after serving as vice mayor for the previous three years.

Philippine election rules prevent presidents from seeking a second term, with Bongbong Marcos succeeding him as leader two years ago.

The former president is known for his disrespect for human rights, attacks on the media, the Catholic Church and political opposition.

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The drug crackdown, which resulted in an unprecedented number of murders, is currently the subject of an International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation, which could see him convicted of crimes against humanity.

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When Duterte was president, two men – one a former police officer – had testified before the Senate that they were part of an alleged assassination squad in Davao and that they had killed on orders from Duterte.

One of Duterte’s biggest critics, Senator Leila de Lima, who previously investigated drug killings in Davao, has said there is now enough evidence to prosecute him – but witnesses are too scared to testify.

Ms de Lima was arrested early in Mr Duterte’s presidency and held for six years before being released in 2023.

She said on television after the hearing: “This man, the former mayor of Davao City and the former President of the Republic of the Philippines, has evaded justice and accountability for so long. We haven’t held him accountable after all these years. “

Mr. Duterte, however, appeared defiant, claiming he would “wipe out” all drug dealers if allowed to return to power. He claimed they were allowed to act with impunity now that he has left.