Testimony in a new International Criminal Court (ICC) case corroborates a police report claiming Michael Yang, who is close to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, ran meth labs on the island of Mindanao in the early 2000s. Yang has since been linked to alleged procurement corruption, and a Philippine Senate committee has suggested he could face criminal charges.
Key findings:
- Testimony provided to the ICC has linked Yang to the narcotics trade in a city where Duterte was formerly mayor.
- Duterte has led a brutal crackdown under the auspices of a ‘war on drugs’ that critics have said is a cover for extrajudicial killings. The ICC in mid-September opened a case on the drug campaign as well as extrajudicial killings committed by a ‘death squad’ during Duterte’s two decades as mayor of Davao City.
- Under Duterte, Yang and an associate have become successful and powerful businessmen in the Philippines, brokering deals through China’s flagship Belt and Road Initiative.
- Yang is linked to a procurement scandal in which Duterte’s government handed out allegedly overpriced contracts for COVID-19 supplies.
- The Philippine Senate looked into the COVID-19 contracts and summoned Yang to testify. A Senate committee has since said that Yang could face charges including perjury or false testimony.
Philippine President Duterte’s Former Economic Adviser was a “Drug Lord,” Says Affidavit in New ICC Case
Testimony in a new International Criminal Court (ICC) case corroborates a police report claiming Michael Yang, who is close to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, ran meth labs on the island of Mindanao in the early 2000s. Yang has since been linked to alleged procurement corruption, and a Philippine Senate committee…