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Duterte 'will not submit' in graft probe

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MANILA Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has said he will not cooperate with a special anti-corruption prosecutor's investigation into allegations that he had ill-gotten wealth, vowing he will "not submit" to its authority.

The Office of the Ombudsman said last week it was investigating claims that Mr Duterte's bank accounts had hundreds of millions of pesos, which he failed to disclose as required by law.

The president responded by calling the agency "lousy" and saying the allegations are "lies based on baseless" information.

"I will not submit to the jurisdiction (of the Ombudsman Office)," Mr Duterte said in a curse-laden speech to local lawyers on Saturday night.

"Waving fabricated evidence, lying (through) his teeth in front of the nation and you want me to submit to the jurisdiction of the Ombudsman?" he said, referring to Overall Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Arthur Carandang.

His remarks contradicted his spokesman's statement last week that Mr Duterte respected the Ombudsman and trusted its impartiality.

The probe stemmed from a plunder complaint filed before the election by opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes, who alleged Mr Duterte embezzled government funds during his more than two-decade stint as mayor of Davao city. - AFP

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